FBI “Prohibited Access” and Nellie Ohr

In May 2019, the FBI received a Congressional criminal referral from Mark Meadows alleging Nellie Ohr gave knowingly false statements in her testimony before Congress regarding (1) Nellie’s testimony that she had no knowledge of the DOJ’s Trump/Russia investigation; (2) her testimony that she had no knowledge of the DOJ’s “investigations on Russia.”

The fact that Nellie Ohr, wife of senior DOJ official Bruce Ohr, lied to Congress has been essentially established for a number of years. The Congressional referral discusses emails from the DOJ asking Bruce Ohr if his wife could speak with DOJ officials regarding her Russia research. Bruce asked Nellie if she would speak to the DOJ, to which Nellie emailed “Sure!” Nellie would later provide these officials with her Russia analysis.

But the Congressional referral just scratched the surface. Nellie’s “open-source research”, compiled while employed by Fusion GPS, was passed to the FBI by Bruce Ohr on a number of occasions. Recall that the subjects of her research included Paul Manafort, Carter Page, and Michael Flynn. Based on the timing of the disclosures (December 2016, for example) and internal FBI documents, Nellie Ohr’s research was used to help corroborate the Steele Dossier. Funny how that worked: a Fusion GPS employee corroborating a Fusion GPS work product. But it gets worse – Nellie Ohr’s research also informed and contributed to the Steele Dossier.

And, as we reported before the Congressional referral was released, Nellie Ohr lied to Congress about the date she received her HAM radio license. Nellie testified that she received her HAM license in 2015, stating it was “well before” her employment at Fusion GPS. Records we received via FOIA showed her HAM license was applied for, and granted on, May 23, 2016 – during her employment at Fusion GPS.