Lawmakers prepare to question Bruce Ohr behind closed doors
Rep. John Ratcliffe speaks out on the questions surrounding the DOJ official's ties to Trump dossier author Christopher Steele.
President Trump on Monday questioned why Attorney General Jeff Sessions hasn’t fired Department of Justice official Bruce Ohr, pointing to Ohr’s connection to the “phony, dirty and discredited” dossier financed by Democrats during the 2016 campaign.
“Will Bruce Ohr, whose family received big money for helping to create the phony, dirty and discredited Dossier, ever be fired from the Jeff Sessions “Justice” Department? A total joke!” Trump tweeted.
Ohr’s wife, Nellie, is a former contractor for Fusion GPS - the research company that worked with ex-British spy Chris Steele to compile the infamous dossier of unverified and salacious claims about Trump’s ties to Russia.
Conservatives have accused Ohr -- who was once former associate deputy attorney general and still works for the DOJ -- of having a conflict of interest during the presidential campaign because of his wife's work.
Trump: Bruce Ohr is a disgrace and disqualifying for Mueller
President Trump hints that he will remove DOJ official Bruce Ohr's security clearance 'very quickly,' says if 'conflicted' special counsel Robert Mueller wrote an 'honest report' on Russian collusion he would take a look at 'the other side.'
Trump has repeatedly criticized Sessions, his attorney general, for recusing himself from the Russia investigation.
On Friday, Trump called Ohr a “disgrace” and suggested he plans to revoke his security clearance soon.
TRUMP CALLS DOJ OFFICIAL OHR A 'DISGRACE'
The president boasted of a “tremendous response” he’s gotten for revoking former CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance last week and said it’s likely he’ll do the same to Ohr soon.
“I suspect I’ll be taking it away very quickly,” Trump said. “I think that Bruce Ohr is a disgrace with his wife, Nellie. For him to be at the Justice Department, and to be doing what he did, that is a disgrace.”
The dossier, which was used by federal officials to justify the surveillance of a top Trump aide, Carter Page, was created by Fusion GPS and paid for by Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
Fox News has reviewed a collection of Ohr's emails, texts and handwritten notes that reveals that he was deeply connected to the dossier as well as its author.
Ohr wrote that Steele was "very concerned (abt) about [former FBI Director James] Comey's firing -- afraid they will be exposed."
The Ohr documents also shed more light on Steele's activities before the presidential election. While Steele shopped the dossier to multiple media outlets, he also appeared to ask Ohr for help with a Russian oligarch -- Oleg Deripaska -- after rumors the U.S. might impose sanctions.
Fox News’ Catherine Herridge and Gregg Re contributed to this report.
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