Judicial Watch Releases Email Exchange Between State Department Official and Bruce Ohr Targeting Trump with Steele Dossier Material

Ohr: ‘I really hope we can get something going here.’

(Washington, DC)- Judicial Watch today released four pages of documents from the U.S. Department of Justice showing a conversation between former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Kathleen Kavalec and former Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr, discussing the targeting of Donald Trump with Steele dossier material.

In discussing a meeting with the potential source for a Mother Jones article accusing the Trump campaign of taking money from a Russian-American oil magnate, as well as Christopher Steele’s connection to that source, Kavalec emails Ohr citing the accusatory Mother Jones article. Ohr says, “I really hope we can get something going here.”

Judicial Watch obtained the records through its August 2018 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed against the Justice Department after it failed to respond to a May 29, 2018, FOIA request  (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:18-cv-01854)). Judicial Watch seeks:

• All records from the Office of the Deputy Attorney General relating to Fusion GPS, Nellie Ohr and/or British national Christopher Steele, including but not limited to all records of communications about and with Fusion GPS officials, Nellie Ohr and Christopher Steele.
• All records from the office of former Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce G. Ohr relating to Fusion GPS, Nellie Ohr and/or British national Christopher Steele, including but not limited to all records of communications (including those of former Associate Deputy Attorney General Ohr) about and with Fusion GPS officials, Nellie Ohr and Christopher Steele.
• All records from the office of the Director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force relating to Fusion GPS, Nellie Ohr and/or British national Christopher Steele, including but not limited to all records of communications (including those of former Organized Crime Task Force Director Bruce Ohr) about and with Fusion GPS officials, Nellie Ohr and Christopher Steele.

In a November 21, 2016, email exchange Kavalec thanks Bruce Ohr for “coming by” to discuss the work of the OCDETF (Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force). Kavalec provides Ohr with links to Mother Jones and Open Secrets articles that suggest a Russian-American oil magnate gave money to Trump’s campaign. Ohr responds, “I really hope we can get something going here.… We will take another look at this.”

Kavalec then replies to Ohr, saying that she had just reviewed the notes from her October 2016 meeting with Steele stating, “I see Chris [Steele] said [Simon] Kukes has [sic] some connection to Serge Millian.” Millian is an Belarus-born businessman who was an alleged source for the anti-Trump dossier. He developed a relationship with Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos in 2016.

Kavalec recently came to national attention when her notes from her October 11, 2016, meeting with Dossier author Steele were revealed. In her notes, Kavalec said Steele told her of “a technical/human operation run out of Moscow targeting the election.” In Kavalec’s notes, she disputes some of the details asserted by Steele—indicating these were both researched, and disproven. Kavalec reported her findings directly to the FBI.

“These documents are a shocking example of the Deep State plotting against President Trump – just weeks after he was elected,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “There’s now no doubt that Bruce Ohr and the Obama State Department were working the Clinton gang to target President Trump.”

Recently, Judicial Watch uncovered emails from Bruce Ohr showing that former Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr remained in regular contact with former British spy and Fusion GPS contractor Christopher Steele after Steele was terminated by the FBI in November 2016 for revealing to the media his position as an FBI confidential informant.

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