Bruce Ohr, a former deputy associate attorney general at the Department of Justice, reportedly failed to disclose that his wife had been receiving payments from Fusion GPS, a firm paid by Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the DNC to produce opposition research on President Trump.
According to a previously reported declassified memo, “Ohr’s wife was employed by Fusion GPS to assist in the cultivation of opposition research on Trump.”
He then delivered said research, none of which has been verified, to the FBI. The information cultivated by Fusion GPS, the infamous Steele dossier, was presented to a court to obtain a surveillance warrant against people associated with the Trump campaign.
An exclusive report from the Daily Caller indicates Ohr failed to secure a conflict of interest waiver from his bosses at the Justice Department, and approval for his wife’s controversial source of income.
Wonder why he would do that? It’s almost as though he realizes that the conflict is terrible… but hey his wife could make hundreds of thousands while they both work to sabotage @realDonaldTrump… WIN WIN right??? https://t.co/p929PG4rl9
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 15, 2018
Ohr was later demoted from his position after the incestuous relationship with Fusion and his wife became clear.
The funds helped “sweeten the pot for the Ohrs” said Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, adding, “it certainly made it easier for Fusion to get the dossier to be used before the court if they made that payment to Bruce Ohr’s wife.”
“Fusion had to have known that because of the relationship between Bruce Ohr and his wife, they were bringing Fusion, the DOJ and the DNC together under one roof to work for the same goal, which was to stop Donald Trump from becoming president,” he added.
Bruce Ohr also did not get a conflict of interest waiver to press dossier case, tho Fusion GPS paid his wife to help create it.
It seems much worse than a failure to recuse — all indications are that he actively sought the role. https://t.co/SPVUaRMIyG
— Luke Rosiak (@lukerosiak) February 15, 2018
Ohr’s demotion was one of necessity upon the department’s discovery that he had not attained the waiver, effectively hiding his wife’s payments.
Willfully falsifying government ethics forms could lead to jail time, if he were to be tried and convicted.
“The law provides that whoever ‘knowingly and willfully’ fails to file information required to be filed on this report faces civil penalties up to $50,000 and possible criminal penalties up to one year in prison under the disclosure law and possibly up to five years in prison under 18 USC 1001,” explains public policy lawyer Paul Kamenar.
-Bruce Ohr didn’t list Fusion GPS on ethics forms under spouse’s income sources
-Lying on the forms can carry jail time
-Feds got FISC warrant w/o noting financial relationship; could be because they weren’t told
-Pattern of evasiveness about the paymentshttps://t.co/BkktUGgIz7— Luke Rosiak (@lukerosiak) February 15, 2018
Scott Amey, general counsel of the Project on Government Oversight, said: “As a lawyer and a top Justice official, Ohr should know that he can’t participate in anything related to his wife’s work.”
“(He) should have been upfront about his wife’s employment and not touched anything related to Steele, the dossier, and Fusion GPS.”
Actively avoiding revelations of his meetings with Fusion and his wife’s payments seems to indicate a man who knew what he and his wife were doing was wrong. Now it’s time for an investigation to determine the same.
Was there something shady going on with Bruce Ohr and his wife at the Justice Department? Tell us what you think below!