[The Federalist] Friday’s release of a transcript of Bruce Ohr’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee revealed several new tidbits. It also raised serious concerns that fake claims of collusion pushed by Glenn Simpson and Democratic opposition research shop Fusion GPS prompted the launch of not one, but two federal investigations: the Russia collusion investigation and investigations into the National Rifle Association (NRA).During his day-long testimony last August, Ohr, then an associate deputy attorney general, explained his involvement‐or non-involvement, if he is to be believed‐in the Russia-collusion investigation. Ohr testified that he knew former MI6 spy and dossier author Christopher Steele for more than a decade and was acquainted with Steele’s boss, Fusion GPS head Simpson, for many years.
Ohr further explained that from July 30, 2016 until November 2017, both Steele and Simpson provided him "intel" related to supposed collusion between Russia and members of the Trump campaign. Ohr then passed this information on to the FBI, where it was used to, among other things, obtain FISA court orders to surveil and otherwise target the Trump campaign team.
But in an abbreviated aside, Ohr causally revealed one communique with Simpson that indicates the Fusion GPS founder pushed another false story that unleashed multiple federal investigations into the NRA.
During questioning, Ohr stated that Simpson mentioned "that Cleta Mitchell became aware of money moving through the NRA or something like that from Russia." Ohr added that Simpson claimed that Mitchell‐a D.C. attorney specializing in campaign-finance law and a former member of the NRA board of directors‐"was upset about it." But when asked how Simpson found out about Mitchell, Ohr testified, "I don’t think he said."