Bruce Ohr
<div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">impeach</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">BS</font></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">nunes 11/20/19 djt had right to be concrned about ukraine, out to get him</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ref</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/2019/11/14/devin-nunes-calls-an-experienced-organized-crime-researcher-funded-by-paul-singer-a-democratic-operative/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.emptywheel.net/2019/11/14/devin-nunes-calls-an-experienced-organized-crime-researcher-funded-by-paul-singer-a-democratic-operative/</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">blog?</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><header class="entry-content-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><h1 class="post-title entry-title " itemprop="headline" style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.3em; vertical-align: baseline; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/2019/11/14/devin-nunes-calls-an-experienced-organized-crime-researcher-funded-by-paul-singer-a-democratic-operative/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Devin Nunes Calls an Experienced Organized Crime Researcher Funded by Paul Singer a Democratic Operative" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: inherit; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"> NUNES CALLS AN EXPERIENCED ORGANIZED CRIME RESEARCHER FUNDED BY PAUL SINGER A DEMOCRATIC OPERATIVE<span class="post-format-icon minor-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" /></font></a></h1><span class="post-meta-infos" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; top: -8px; display: block;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><time class="date-container minor-meta updated" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">November 14, 2019</time><span class="text-sep text-sep-date" style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">/</span><span class="comment-container minor-meta" style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/2019/11/14/devin-nunes-calls-an-experienced-organized-crime-researcher-funded-by-paul-singer-a-democratic-operative/#comments" class="comments-link" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">64 Comments</a></span><span class="text-sep text-sep-comment" style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">/</span><span class="blog-categories minor-meta" style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">in <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/2016-presidential-election/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">2016 Presidential Election</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/2020-presidential-election/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">2020 Presidential Election</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/impeachment/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Impeachment</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/mueller-probe/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Mueller Probe</a> </span><span class="text-sep text-sep-cat" style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">/</span><span class="blog-author minor-meta" style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">by <span class="entry-author-link" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="vcard author" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="fn" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/author/emptywheel/" title="Posts by emptywheel" rel="author" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">emptywheel</a></span></span></span></span></font></span></header><div class="entry-content" itemprop="text" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>There’s a key part of Devin Nunes and Mark Meadows’ defense of the President yesterday that deserves far more attention, both for the way it distorts the factual record and how it suggests that simply being an expert on Russian and Ukrainian organized crime makes one a Democratic operative.</b></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">At issue is their bid to make the impeachment inquiry about Nellie Ohr, whom they’ve past <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/2019/08/09/the-unremarkable-bruce-ohr-302s/" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">falsely suggested</a> had a role in mainlining the Steele dossier into DOJ and FBI. They’ve brought Nellie, the spouse of a key DOJ expert on organized crime, Bruce Ohr, back into their narrative by claiming she testified to Congress that Fusion GPS relied on Ukrainian sources. The idea is that Ohr’s testimony would prove that Trump had good reason to think Ukraine had it in for him in 2016, so could rightly ask Ukraine to investigate whether that amounted to tampering in the election.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Here’s how Nunes laid it out in his <a href="https://republicans-intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/rm_letter_to_chm_re_witness_request.pdf" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">demand</a> that Ohr be called to testify:</font></p><blockquote style="background-color: rgb(245, 246, 242); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 20px 1em 20px 89.8438px; padding: 5px 20px; border-width: 0px 0px 0px 7px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-left-style: solid; border-color: rgb(127, 140, 94); border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Nellie Ohr, former contractor for opposition research firm Fusion GPS.</span> In a 2018 interview with the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, Ms. Ohr stated that, during her work with Fusion GPS that ultimately assisted in the production of the Steele dossier–comprising false allegations against then-candidate Trump–Fusion GPS used information from sources in Ukraine, including Serhiy Leshchenko who recently lost his post from the Ukrainian parliament. Given President Trump’s documented belief that the Ukrainian government meddled in the 2016 election to oppose his candidacy, which forms the basis for a reasonable desire for Ukraine to investigate the circumstances surrounding the election and any potential Ukrainian involvement, Ms. Ohr is a prime fact witness who can assist Congress and the American public in better understanding the facts and circumstances surrounding Ukrainian involvement in the 2016 election.</font></p></blockquote><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In his demand, Nunes helpfully provides a footnote, to make it easy to see how many errors he makes in this paragraph. Here’s the passage of <a href="https://dougcollins.house.gov/sites/dougcollins.house.gov/files/10.19.18%20Nellie%20Ohr%20Interview.pdf" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Ohr’s testimony</a> before Congress that, Nunes falsely claims, backs his insinuations that Ohr tampered in the 2016 campaign.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">GOP counsel Ryan Breitenbach is questioning her.</font></p><blockquote style="background-color: rgb(245, 246, 242); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 20px 1em 20px 89.8438px; padding: 5px 20px; border-width: 0px 0px 0px 7px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-left-style: solid; border-color: rgb(127, 140, 94); border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q Was there indication from [her boss at Fusion GPS, Jake] Berkowitz or [Glenn] Simpson that they had any inside information as to whether there were suspicious connections with any of President Trump’s orbit of individuals including his family?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A What do you mean by “inside information”?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q I would say any information that they specifically gave you, in terms of your employment with Fusion GPS, that would indicate that there were some level of connections with President Trump’s family and Russia?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">They would give me leads based on their open-source research</span> and, you know, legal documents and other things.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q Did they ever indicate that any of their leads were based off of sources of theirs?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A I don’t remember get- — regarding the Trump family, no.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q Regarding any of the research during this year, 10-, 11-month period, was any — was any research based off of sources of theirs that you were aware of?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Yes.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q And who were the sources?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A I recall a — <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">they were mentioning someone named Serhiy Leshchenko</span>, a Ukrainian.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q And did they give you any indication as to Leshchenko’s connections with them, how they got to know him? Were they doing work for him?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A With Fusion GPS?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q Correct.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">I am not aware of how they</span> —</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q Were you aware of how they had a connection with him?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">I am not aware</span>.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q But you were aware that he was a source of information that was leading to information that they had, that they were then presenting to you as reasons for following up on opposition research or what research —</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Yes.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q — that is, on President Trump or his family?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A My understanding is that some — yes. And — yes, <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">it was not necessarily on his family that Leshchenko’s research was on</span>.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q Are you aware of what his research, or what his source information included?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">His source information, I am not aware.</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q You are just aware that he was a source of —</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Yes.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q — Glenn Simpson? Or was it a source of Mr. Berkowitz? Or both?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A I am not aware of a differentiation between them. Just a source for Fusion GPS.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q That is one source. Were there any other sources that you were aware of?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A I don’t think so. I don’t recall that there were.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q And were you aware of Mr. Leshchenko prior to him being mentioned to you as a potential source of their information?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Yes.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q In what way?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A He is very well-known, Ukrainian, anti-corruption activist. So <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">I had read about him in the press</span>.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q Had you studied him before?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A What do you mean by “studied”?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q Performed independent research for any prior employer.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A No. I followed him in the — you know, if I saw him mentioned in the press, I read — I read about it.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q And previous to this particular incoming knowledge from Mr. Simpson or just from Fusion GPS, were you aware of any connections between Mr. Leshchenko — am I saying that name, by the way?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A Yes.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Q — Mr. Leshchenko and President Trump, or anyone in President Trump’s familial orbit or even friendly orbit?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A I was unaware of any connections before that. [my emphasis]</font></p></blockquote><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Before this colloquy, Ohr had already testified that she had “no reason to believe” that her work was integrated into the Steele dossier at all</b><span style="font-weight: inherit;">. Democratic staffers walked her through passage after passage in the Steele dossier and asked her if her work had provided background for it, which she said it did not. She also had already explained (to both Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows in separate interactions directly) that she, “did online open source research using Russian sources, media, social media, government, you know, business registers, legal databases, all kinds of things.” </span><b>Ohr’s testimony was backed by Glenn Simpson’s <a href="https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/cache/files/3/9/3974a291-ddbe-4525-9ed1-22bab43c05ae/934A3562824CACA7BB4D915E97709D2F.simpson-transcript-redacted.pdf" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">earlier appearances</a> before Congress — including <a href="https://docs.house.gov/meetings/IG/IG00/20180118/106796/HMTG-115-IG00-Transcript-20180118.pdf" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">an appearance before HPSCI that Nunes attended</a>; Simpson also said his own research was based off open source research</b><span style="font-weight: inherit;">.</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span style="font-weight: inherit;">Moreover, both the reports Nellie did (</span><a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6294363-190710-Orr-Comms.html" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="font-weight: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">PDF 216 to 299</a><span style="font-weight: inherit;">) and a </span><a href="https://www.judicialwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/JW-v-DOJ-Ohr-comms-production-6-01854-pgs-300-312.pdf" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="font-weight: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">table she put together on Trump and his flunkies’ ties to suspect Russians</a><span style="font-weight: inherit;"> show that the bulk of her research for Fusion preceded the time when Christopher Steele was working on the dossier. Significantly, that means </span><b>much of Nellie Ohr’s work was paid by GOP billionaire Paul Singer, not the DNC.</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">So in this passage, Nellie Ohr is talking leads she got from her boss at Fusion, Jake Berkowitz, based off open source research he had done, that she would use to do more open source research, for a project mostly paid for by a Republican billionaire interested in the ties between Trump and Russian organized crime.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And what the passage shows is that:</font></p><ul style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px 7px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-position: outside; list-style-image: initial;"><li style="font-weight: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 3px 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ohr said the information from Berkowitz came from open source reporting</font></li><li style="font-weight: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 3px 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">She described herself getting information on Serhiy Leshchenko’s efforts, because he was a very well-known anti-corruption activist who was covered in the press</font></li><li style="font-weight: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 3px 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">She twice said she was not aware of how Berkowitz and Simpson got their information from Leshchenko</font></li><li style="font-weight: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 3px 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">She also said she didn’t know where Leshchenko got his information</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 3px 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Ohr said that Leshchenko’s reporting wasn’t focused on the Trump family (it almost certainly was focused on Paul Manafort, about whom Ohr wrote a detailed timeline)</b></font></li></ul><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In short, the transcript Nunes says supports a demand that Ohr testify does no such thing. Instead, it shows that this side of Fusion’s work relied on open source reporting, and that information on Leshchenko’s efforts was available via open sources. It also shows that Ohr repeatedly denied knowing whether the Fusion focus on Leshchenko was based on anything but open source reporting.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This transcript also shows that if Republicans really wanted to know about how Leshchenko’s work informed Fusion’s work, they should ask Simpson or Berkowitz to testify, because Ohr was only ever working from open sources — that is, doing research, mostly paid for by a Republican billionaire.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">That background is all critically important for how Nunes ended yesterday’s testimony. In his <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?466134-1/impeachment-hearing-william-taylor-george-kent&start=19577" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">closing statement</a> at the hearing, Nunes restated his demand that Schiff permit Republicans to call their chosen witnesses, which he listed as:</font></p><ul style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px 7px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-position: outside; list-style-image: initial;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 3px 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The whistleblower</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 3px 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The folks that he spoke to</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; padding: 3px 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Numerous Democratic operatives who worked with Ukraine to meddle in the election</font></li></ul><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Obviously, Nellie Ohr — an experienced researcher on Ukrainian and Russian organized crime — must fall into the latter category.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">So on top of all the ways Nunes misrepresented the Ohr’s testimony (or her ability to testify on the issues he claims to want to hear), there’s this. The Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes, believes that an expert on Ukrainian and Russian organized crime being paid to do open source research by a Republican billionaire must be a Democratic operative.</font></p></div><footer class="entry-footer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240);"><span class="blog-tags minor-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Tags:</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"> <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/tag/bruce-ohr/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Bruce Ohr</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/tag/christopher-steele/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Christopher Steele</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/tag/devin-nunes/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Devin Nunes</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/tag/glenn-simpson/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Glenn Simpson</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/tag/jim-jordan/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Jim Jordan</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/tag/mark-meadows/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Mark Meadows</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/tag/nellie-ohr/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Nellie Ohr</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/tag/paul-manafort/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Paul Manafort</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/tag/paul-singer/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Paul Singer</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/tag/serhiy-leshchenko/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Serhiy Leshchenko</a></span></font></span></footer></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/2019/11/16/gop-accuses-trump-of-lying-to-mueller-in-latest-defense-against-impeachment/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.emptywheel.net/2019/11/16/gop-accuses-trump-of-lying-to-mueller-in-latest-defense-against-impeachment/</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">J</font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; text-transform: uppercase; background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: inherit; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;"><a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/2019/11/16/gop-accuses-trump-of-lying-to-mueller-in-latest-defense-against-impeachment/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Jim Jordan Accuses Trump of Lying to Mueller in Latest Defense against Impeachment" data-wpel-link="internal" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; text-transform: uppercase; background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: inherit; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">IM JORDAN ACCUSES TRUMP OF LYING TO MUELLER IN LATEST DEFENSE AGAINST IMPEACHMENT</a></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><header class="entry-content-header" style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="post-meta-infos" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; top: -8px; display: block;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><time class="date-container minor-meta updated" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">November 16, 2019</time><span class="text-sep text-sep-date" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">/</span><span class="comment-container minor-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/2019/11/16/gop-accuses-trump-of-lying-to-mueller-in-latest-defense-against-impeachment/#comments" class="comments-link" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">46 Comments</a></span><span class="text-sep text-sep-comment" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">/</span><span class="blog-categories minor-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">in <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/2016-presidential-election/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">2016 Presidential Election</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/2020-presidential-election/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">2020 Presidential Election</a>, <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/impeachment/" rel="tag" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Impeachment</a> </span><span class="text-sep text-sep-cat" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">/</span><span class="blog-author minor-meta" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">by <span class="entry-author-link" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="vcard author" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="fn" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/author/emptywheel/" title="Posts by emptywheel" rel="author" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 5px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">emptywheel</a></span></span></span></span></font></span></header><div class="entry-content" itemprop="text" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Among the efforts Republicans employed to excuse the President’s inexcusable behavior in yesterday’s impeachment hearing, they tried to lay out reasons why Trump could legitimately think Ukraine was out to get him. Among the things Steve Castor laid out includes <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/international/290411-ukraines-ambassador-trumps-comments-send-wrong-message-to" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">an op-ed</a> Ukraine’s then Ambassador to the US Valeriy Chaly placed in the Hill in early August 2016, laying out how outrageous it was that Trump had recently suggested he would entertain recognizing Russia’s annexation of Crimea.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="font-weight: inherit;">“Can you see how the simple fact of writing an op-ed, the Ukrainian Ambassador to the US might create a perception that there are elements of the Ukrainian establishment were advocating against then-candidate Trump,” </span><b>GOP counsel Steve Castor </b><a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?466135-1/impeachment-hearing-ukraine-ambassador-marie-yovanovitch&start=13998" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="font-weight: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">asked</a><span style="font-weight: inherit;"> about an op-ed in which Ukraine’s Ambassador defended the territorial integrity of his country and invoked resolutions where the US had committed to do so too. “That’s a tremendously sensitive issue in Ukraine,” Marie Yovanovitch explained, as if it weren’t evident.</span></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In spite of how obvious that explanation for the op-ed is, Jim Jordan nevertheless returned to this attack, <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4830591/user-clip-jim-jordan-accuses-trump-lying" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">claiming</a> that the op-ed was an example of an Ambassador trying to influence a host country election and suggesting Yovanovitch was negligent in not telling Ukraine to stop defending its territorial integrity. (Jordan also lobbed <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/2019/11/14/devin-nunes-calls-an-experienced-organized-crime-researcher-funded-by-paul-singer-a-democratic-operative/" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">the Nellie Ohr attack</a> that even Devin Nunes seems to have recognized constituted an attack on an experienced organized crime researcher being paid by GOP billionaire Paul Singer.)</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><b>Republicans are not outraged by John Solomon’s <a href="https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/434875-top-ukrainian-justice-official-says-us-ambassador-gave-him-a-do-not-prosecute" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">hit job</a> in the Hill targeting an Ambassador who has served presidents of both parties, they’re not outraged that Mike Flynn was writing an <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/foreign-policy/305021-our-ally-turkey-is-in-crisis-and-needs-our-support" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">op-ed</a> to be placed in the Hill that was paid for by the Turkish state even while getting Top Secret briefings with Trump as candidate.</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">They are, however, outraged that a <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/international/290411-ukraines-ambassador-trumps-comments-send-wrong-message-to" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">Hill op-ed</a> by Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US points out that America has made past commitments to protect Ukraine’s territorial integrity.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But there’s something still crazier about this line of defense.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Chaly’s op-ed could only be viewed as an attack on Trump if he did, in fact, advocate recognizing Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Otherwise, the op-ed would simply be a matter of policy, as Yovanovitch patiently explained to Castor.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And it turns out that Trump has represented, in an <a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6002293/190322-Redacted-Mueller-Report.pdf" data-wpel-link="external" rel="external noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">answer submitted under oath to Robert Mueller</a>, that he had no policy stance on Crimea. Mueller asked whether the very comments that the Chaly op-ed addressed represented an intention to recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea.</font></p><blockquote style="background-color: rgb(245, 246, 242); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 20px 1em 20px 89.8438px; padding: 5px 20px; border-width: 0px 0px 0px 7px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-left-style: solid; border-color: rgb(127, 140, 94); border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On July 27, 2016, in response to a question about whether you would recognize Crimea as Russian territory and lift sanctions on Russia, you said: “We’ ll be looking at that. Yeah, we’ll be looking.” Did you intend to communicate by that statement or at any other time during the campaign a willingness to lift sanctions and/or recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea if you were elected?</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1. What consideration did you give to lifting sanctions and/or recognizing Russia’s annexation of Crimea if you were elected? Describe who you spoke with about this topic, when, the substance of the discussion(s).</font></p></blockquote><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And while this answer was <a href="https://www.emptywheel.net/2019/04/22/two-exceptions-to-trumps-do-not-recall-responses-non-answers-on-an-assange-pardon-and-sanctions-relief/" data-wpel-link="internal" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;">the most unresponsive</a> among a slew of unresponsive answers, Trump nevertheless stated, under oath, that his statement did not amount to a policy position.</font></p><blockquote style="background-color: rgb(245, 246, 242); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 20px 1em 20px 89.8438px; padding: 5px 20px; border-width: 0px 0px 0px 7px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-left-style: solid; border-color: rgb(127, 140, 94); border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">My statement did not communicate any position.</font></p></blockquote><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Republicans can’t have this both ways. The <em style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">only</em> way this op-ed could be an attack on Trump is if Trump really was supporting annexation of Crimea. He may well have been — except he has stated, under oath, that he was not.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Treating this op-ed as an attack on Trump, then, is also an accusation that Trump lied in his sworn answers to Mueller.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0.85em 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Why is Jim Jordan defending President Trump against impeachment by accusing him of lying under oath?</font></p><div class="pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-post pdfprnt-bottom-left" style="background-color: rgb(246, 246, 240); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 5px; border: 0px rgb(212, 212, 212); font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/09/30/democrat-strategist-alexandra-chalupa-goes-on-bizarre-rant-after-devin-nunes-mentions-her-during-hearing/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/09/30/democrat-strategist-alexandra-chalupa-goes-on-bizarre-rant-after-devin-nunes-mentions-her-during-hearing/</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>democrat Strategist Alexandra Chalupa Goes on Bizarre Rant After Devin Nunes Mentions Her During Hearing</b></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alexandra ChalupaFacebook</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">KRISTINA WONG</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">30 Sep 201929</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">3:50</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ukrainian-American Democrat strategist Alexandra Chalupa, who sought dirt from Ukraine on Trump campaign officials during the 2016 election, went on a bizarre Twitter rant after House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-CA) name-checked her during a recent committee hearing.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">During his opening statement at a hearing last Thursday, when Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testified, Nunes drew comparisons between the Democrats’ campaign to smear Trump through Russia collusion allegations and the current allegations about Ukraine.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Nunes began:</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The current hysteria has something else in common with the Russia hoax. Back then, they accused the Trump campaign of colluding with Russians when the Democrats themselves were colluding with Russians in preparing the Steele dossier. Today, they accuse the president of pressuring Ukrainians to take actions that would help himself or hurt his political opponents.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He brought up six times when Democrats pressured Ukraine to do something, including when Chalupa — while a Democratic National Committee contractor — asked Ukrainian officials for dirt on Trump campaign officials and tried to arrange for the then-Ukrainian President to comment on the Trump associates’ alleged ties to Russia:</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Joe Biden bragged that he extorted the Ukrainians into firing a prosecutor, who happened to be investigating Biden’s own son;</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Three Democrat senators wrote a letter pressuring the Ukrainian general prosecutor to reopen investigations it reportedly froze on former Trump campaign officials;</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Another Democratic senator went to Ukraine and pressured the Ukrainian President not to investigate corruption allegations involving Biden’s son;</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>— According to Ukrainian officials, Democratic National Committee contractor Alexandra Chalupa tried to get Ukrainian officials to provide dirt on Trump associates and tried to get the former Ukrainian President to comment publicly on their alleged ties to Russia.</b></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">— Ukrainian official Serhiy Leshchenko was a source for Nellie Ohr, wife of Department of Justice official Bruce Ohr, as she worked on the anti-Trump operation conducted by Fusion GPS and funded by the Democrats.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— And of course, Democrats on this very committee negotiated with people they thought were Ukrainians in order to obtain nude pictures of Trump.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Chalupa, about an hour later, made bizarre accusations against Nunes — who exposed that the DNC and the Clinton campaign paid for the dossier used to smear Trump with allegations of Russian collusion.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Chalupa accused Nunes of “character assassination campaigns” against the U.S. intelligence community, the FBI, and witnesses. She claimed without explanation that he was “key in obstructing justice and gaslighting Americans.”</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">She claimed he “made public lists of American (sic) on Putin/Trump’s enemies list.”</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alexandra Chalupa</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@AlexandraChalup</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> · Sep 26, 2019</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Few have done more to help cover up for the crimes Vladimir Putin committed against the United States than @DevinNunes. This includes character assassination campaigns against our Intel Community, FBI, & witnesses. He’s been key in obstructing justice and gaslighting Americans.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alexandra Chalupa</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@AlexandraChalup</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Days before the secretive meeting Putin and Trump held in Helsinki in July 2018, Rep Nunes, then Chairman of the House Intel Committee, made public lists of American on Putin/Trump’s enemies lists. It was an intimidation tactic and witness tampering. It put Americans in danger.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">2,135</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">6:36 AM - Sep 26, 2019</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">705 people are talking about this</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">She claimed Nunes held “secretive meetings” in Montenegro in April 2017. She then said without clarifying what she meant that the “‘Ukraine collusion’ narrative is fake.”</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“They’re the ones who planted it – Manafort and Giuliani. They’re worried now because they were hoping it would give them cover in the Russia probe & a pardon for Manafort. Instead they left a two year trail of collusion,” she said.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">She did not clarify whether she was referring to her efforts to seek dirt from Ukraine on former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort:</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alexandra Chalupa</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@AlexandraChalup</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> · Sep 26, 2019</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Replying to @AlexandraChalup</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The media should look into the secretive meetings Rep. Nunes held in Montenegro in April 2017, including what proxies of Manafort’s or the Kremlin were there. Same month when Deripaska was worried about sanctions. Nunes has chosen protecting the Russian mafia over Americans.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alexandra Chalupa</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@AlexandraChalup</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Republicans know the ‘Ukraine collusion’ narrative is fake. They’re the ones who planted it - Manafort and Giuliani. They’re worried now because they were hoping it would give them cover in the Russia probe & a pardon for Manafort. Instead they left a two year trail of collusion.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">2,004</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">6:36 AM - Sep 26, 2019</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">665 people are talking about this</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">She then made sweeping claims that “Republicans hate [and] smear whistleblowers” and “love foreign hostile adversaries”:</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Republicans hate & smear American whistleblowers who have urgent information to protect U.S. national security.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Republicans love foreign hostile adversaries who attack America’s democracy, steal Americans’ private communications & make them public to help Republicans steal power</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alexandra Chalupa</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@AlexandraChalup</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Republicans hate & smear American whistleblowers who have urgent information to protect U.S. national security.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Republicans love foreign hostile adversaries who attack America’s democracy, steal Americans’ private communications & make them public to help Republicans steal power</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">2,028</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">6:59 AM - Sep 26, 2019</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">746 people are talking about this</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> </font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Follow Breitbart News’ @Kristina_Wong.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">2020 ElectionPoliticsAlexandra ChalupaBruce OhrDemocratic National CommitteeDNCFusion GPSJoseph MaguireNellie OhrPaul ManafortRussiaRussia collusionSteele dossierUkraine</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">./..</font></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">=</font></div></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ref hmmn</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">the hill</font></div><div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ho would have thought that, this deep into the Russia collusion probe, we'd be learning about yet another dossier connected to <span class="rollover-people" data-behavior="rolloverpeople" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><a class="rollover-people-link" data-nid="188224" href="https://thehill.com/people/hillary-clinton" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline-block; position: relative;">Hillary Clinton</a></span>? And, as it turns out, it was sort of a family secret.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By his own account, senior Department of Justice (DOJ) official Bruce Ohr played an essential — and unorthodox — role, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bruce-ohr-shared-details-about-meetings-with-anti-trump-dossier-author-with-justice-department-colleagues" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; position: relative; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(42, 83, 193);">carrying</a> politically tainted allegations of <span class="rollover-people" data-behavior="rolloverpeople" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><a class="rollover-people-link" data-nid="261287" href="https://thehill.com/people/donald-trump" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline-block; position: relative;">Donald Trump</a></span>-Russia collusion to the FBI during the 2016 election.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">First, it was unverified intelligence starting in July 2016 from <b>Trump-hating former British spy Christopher Steele, </b>the author of the infamous Russia dossier.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Next, it was sketchy intelligence starting in August 2016 from Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson, an opposition-research contractor who hired Steele and was paid to help Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-clinton-campaign-sought-dirt-on-trump-from-russian-officials-wheres-the-outrage/2018/08/02/dee4be12-9672-11e8-810c-5fa705927d54_story.html?utm_term=.0debbcf39cac" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; position: relative; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(42, 83, 193);">develop political dirt</a> on Trump.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>And now we learn, from <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-bruce-ohr-told-the-fbi-11547770923" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none; display: inline; position: relative; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(42, 83, 193);">testimony</a> that is still being kept secret from the public, that Ohr admitted to Congress last year that he also took Russia information that his wife, Nellie, assembled against Trump on a computer drive and delivered that to the FBI in 2016 — a revelation that has raised fresh concerns in Congress about a possible conflict of interest.</b></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nellie Ohr worked for Fusion GPS and, for a time, worked on the same Clinton-financed Russian research project as Steele, according to the testimony.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DOJ ethics rules forbid department officials from working in cases where a spouse has a financial interest, a prohibition that Bruce Ohr said he knew about when he forwarded his wife’s evidence to the FBI.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The way Ohr described it, his wife’s research was like an additional dossier assembled from Fusion GPS research to augment what Steele was separately providing the FBI.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“She (Nellie Ohr) provided me with a memory stick that included research she had done for Fusion GPS on various Russian figures,” Ohr told congressional investigators.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“And the reason she provided that information to me is, my understanding was, it related to some of the same — it related to the FBI’s Russia investigation. And she gave me that stick to give to the FBI.”</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ohr’s revelation about his wife adds yet another example of people connected to the Clinton machine flooding the FBI with anti-Trump Russia research during the 2016 election.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Steele’s dossier was the opening salvo. A document sent to the State Department by Clinton proteges Cody Shearer and Sidney Blumenthal was another. A thumb drive given by Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussman to FBI general counsel James Baker was a third. Simpson's thumb drive given to Bruce Ohr was a fourth. And Nellie Ohr’s thumb drive would be a fifth. At least three of those work products — those from Steele, Shearer/Blumenthal and Nellie Ohr — resemble what many people might consider a dossier.</font></p></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">==</font></div>