Grassley Asks Patel To Declassify FBI Analysis Of Criminal Referral For Famed Russia Collusion Hoaxer
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, asked the FBI on Monday to declassify a document related to the actions of a prominent player in the agency’s baseless Russia collusion hoax.
In his letter addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel, the Hawkeye State’s senior senator requested Patel to declassify a “mostly unclassified” FBI analysis of a congressional criminal referral related to “Nellie Ohr’s false statements to Congress, which obstructed congressional investigations” into the inquiry known as Crossfire Hurricane. Grassley sent the communique in his capacity as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
During the 2016 cycle, Nellie Ohr worked for Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm hired by the Hillary Clinton campaign’s law firm to dig up dirt on Donald Trump ahead of the November contest. Through its hiring of ex-British spy Christopher Steele, Fusion GPS ultimately compiled what became known as the Steele dossier — a series of memoranda containing bunk and salacious allegations against Trump that were later used by the FBI to obtain a warrant to spy on the Trump campaign.
It was during her time working for Fusion GPS that Nellie’s husband, Bruce Ohr, was serving as associate deputy attorney general at the Department of Justice. In late 2017, Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson claimed in court filings he met with Bruce “after the November 2016 election to discuss our findings regarding Russia and the election.”
As The Federalist’s Margot Cleveland reported, Bruce confirmed in prior congressional testimony that “after the FBI launched an investigation into the Trump campaign, his wife handed him a flash drive consisting of the Trump-Russia research she had compiled for Fusion GPS. Bruce passed Nellie’s opposition-funded research on to the FBI.”
As previously indicated, Nellie was the subject of a referral sent to the DOJ by then-Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., in May 2019. According to the Washington Examiner, the former congressman cited “concerns that Ohr ‘knowingly provided false testimony’ last year to a joint task force of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees that were investigating decisions made by the Justice Department and FBI surrounding the 2016 election.”
“During her transcribed interview, Ms. Ohr testified she ‘would not have any knowledge of what [was] going on in an ongoing investigation’ at DOJ and would not ‘have any knowledge of the Department of Justice’s investigations on Russia.’ Ms. Ohr also denied she shared her research on Russian organized crime and Donald Trump with individuals outside of Fusion GPS (her employer); her husband, DOJ attorney Bruce Ohr, and Christopher Steele,” the referral reads. “However, documents reviewed by our committees raise concerns Ms. Ohr not only had knowledge of an ongoing DOJ investigation, but that she shared information and research on Russian organized crime to assist DOJ, in direct contradiction with her testimony.”
In his letter to Patel, Grassley noted that the aforementioned FBI analysis of the referral “provides background with respect to Crossfire Hurricane’s origins as well as the criminal case against Nellie Ohr.” He further requested a “full declassification” of the document, citing the “very low level of classification” surrounding the analysis and executive orders issued by Trump regarding declassification of Russia collusion hoax-related materials, among other reasons.
“Declassification of the document in full would be consistent with past practices and to the benefit of public transparency and accountability. There is no legitimate basis to keep the document from the public,” Grassley wrote.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
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