Bruce Ohr was removed from his post of associate deputy attorney
general on December 6, 2017, when it was discovered that he was
actively conspiring against President Trump with others (including his
wife Nellie Ohr) in and out of the Justice Department.

[INSIDE JW]

JUDICIAL WATCH GETS BRUCE OHR FBI 302S
[[link removed]]

WHAT THE FBI KNEW ABOUT SPYGATE CONSPIRATOR BRUCE OHR

Bruce Ohr was removed from his post of associate deputy attorney
general on December 6, 2017, when it was discovered that he was
actively conspiring against President Trump with others (including his
wife Nellie Ohr) in and out of the Justice Department.

Ohr was corruptly used by the FBI as a conduit to Clinton spy
Christopher Steele and the Clinton-DNC spy ring at Fusion, and we now
have received 34 pages
[[link removed]]
of
“302” report material from the FBI interviews of Ohr – documents
that Congress has been seeking but have been unable to get for over a
year. (FBI agents use a Form 302 to summarize interviews and record
notes taken during an interview.)

We obtained these documents in response to the Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) lawsuit
[[link removed]]
we
filed after the Justice Department failed to respond to an August 6,
2018, FOIA request seeking Form 302s for a number of interviews with
Ohr concerning his interactions with former British spy Christopher
Steele (_Judicial Watch v U.S. Department of Justice
[[link removed]
(No.
1:18-cv-02107)).

* On November 22, 2016, Bruce Ohr said that “reporting on
Trump’s ties to Russia were going to the Clinton Campaign, Jon Winer
at the U.S. State Department and the FBI.”

In late September 2016, Ohr describes a person (likely Christopher
Steele) as “desperate that Donald Trump not get elected and was
passionate about him not being the U.S. President.”

“Ohr knew that [Fusion GPS’s] Glen Simpson and others were talking
to Victoria Nuland at the U.S. State Department.”

* Glenn Simpson directed a person whose is redacted to speak to the
press. It appears as if the press that person went to was the far left
leaning Mother Jones.

On December 5, 2016, Ohr promised to “voluntarily” give his wife
Nellie Ohr’s Fusion GPS research to the FBI. He also provided the
FBI with a report on Paul Manafort titled, “Manafort Chronology.”

* On December 12, 2016 Simpson gave Ohr a thumb drive with Fusion
GPS research on it. Ohr claims to not know what is on that drive.
During the meeting Simpson, based evidently on a meeting with Glenn
Simpson, identified Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal
lawyer as having “many Russian clients.” Simpson also told Ohr
that Cohen, “may have” attended a meeting in Prague.

Ohr describes Simpson directing someone to talk to the Mother Jones
reporter “as it was Simpson’s Hail Mary attempt.”

* On December 20, 2016, Ohr provided the FBI with his wife’s
Nellie Ohr’s Fusion GPS research, “which contained the totality”
of her work “but the Fusion GPS header was stripped.”
* On January 23, 2017, Ohr tells the FBI that Steele told him that
Steele “spoke with a staff member of Senator John McCain’s office
sometime prior to October 2016.”
* The FBI interviews show that Ohr texted and talked to Christopher
Steele using the WhatsApp application.
* On February 2, 2017, the FBI tells Ohr to see if Steele would be
“comfortable getting the name of an FBI agent” as a contact. Ohr
tells the agents that State Department official Kathleen Kavalec spoke
with “Steele several times prior to the U.S. Presidential election
and believed Steele’s reporting to have [been] generated mainly from
[REDACTED].
* On February 14, 2017, Ohr tells the FBI that Steele communicated
with him via Facetime that Steele was “beginning to worry about his
business.” Steele discussed brokering new business with the FBI and
told Ohr, “You may see me re-emerge in a couple of weeks.”
* On May 3, 2017, Steele called Ohr to tell him that he “had been
worried about Director Comey’s upcoming testimony to Congress,
especially his response to questions that would be raised by (Senator)
Grassley.” Although what he was specifically worried about is
redacted, Steele was “happy with Director Comey’s response.”

Steele also stated that he was limited in “his ability to testify
before Congress” because of disclosure laws in the UK being more
narrow than the United States.

* On May 12, 2017, Steele called Ohr to discuss a letter the Senate
Intelligence Committee sent him. According to Ohr, “The letter
requested answers to the following questions:

Had Steele provided information to the US Government?

What was the scope of Steele’s investigation?

Did Steele have any additional information to provide? In May, 2017,
Ohr was asked by the FBI to ask “Steele if he would be willing to
have a conversation with FBI agents in the UK.” Steele responded
that he would, but he would need to check with a redacted name.
These new Bruce Ohr FBI 302s show an unprecedented and irregular
effort by the FBI, DOJ, and State Department to dig up dirt on
President Trump using the conflicted Bruce Ohr, his wife, and the
Clinton/DNC spies at Fusion GPS. The FISA courts weren’t informed of
this corrupted process when they were asked to approve and reapprove
extraordinary spy warrants targeting President Trump.

Here is some more important background on Ohr, Steele and the Spygate
affair.

In June, we uncovered
[[link removed]]
documents
showing in the removal of Bruce Ohr November 13, 2016, Ohr was given a
performance award of $28,000. This was during the time of his deep
involvement in the highly controversial Justice Department
surveillance of the Trump presidential campaign. The bonus was nearly
double the $14,250 performance award he was given on November 29,
2015.

One of our FOIA lawsuits recently produced
[[link removed]]
information
from the DOJ showing a conversation between former Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
Kathleen Kavalec and 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.”

We also obtained an email
[[link removed]]
revealing
that Nellie Ohr, wife of Bruce Ohr, informed him that she was deleting
emails sent from his DOJ email account. The full email exchange
[[link removed]]
is
between Bruce Ohr, Lisa Holtyn, Nellie Ohr, and Stefan Bress, a first
secretary at the German Embassy, and is part of 339 pages
[[link removed]]
of
heavily redacted records from the U.S. Department of Justice.

We also uncovered emails
[[link removed]]
from
Ohr showing that he remained in regular contact with former British
spy and Fusion GPS contractor Christopher Steele after Steele was
terminated
[[link removed]]
by
the FBI in November 2016 for revealing to the media his position as an
FBI confidential informant. The records show that Ohr served as a
go-between for Steele by passing along information to “his
colleagues” on matters relating to Steele’s activities.

Ohr also set up meetings with Steele, regularly talked to him on the
telephone and provided him assistance in dealing with situations
Steele was confronting with the media.

We are suing
[[link removed]]
the
DOJ for communications between two of the pivotal players in the Deep
State, anti-Trump collusion – former FBI official Peter Strzok and
Ohr (_Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice
[[link removed]
(No.
1:19-cv-01082)). We are challenging the Justice Department’s
extraordinary claim that there are no records of communications
between Strzok and Ohr in light of the preeminent role both
individuals played in the Deep State effort to undermine the Trump
campaign and administration. In addition, Ohr himself testified
[[link removed]
Congress that he did, in fact, meet and communicate with Strzok.

We also seek
[[link removed]]
records about the agency’s involvement in persuading President Trump
to defer his September 2018 decision to declassify DOJ documents
related to the Russia investigation (_Judicial Watch v U.S. Department
of Justice
[[link removed]
(No.
1:19-cv-00507)). Our lawsuit is also seeking Ohr’s records of
communications around the time of Trump’s declassification
announcement.

And I can tell you that more is coming as a result of our
investigations of the biggest corruption scandal in American
history….

FBI LEAKERS EXPOSED BY JUDICIAL WATCH

Fourteen FBI employees were referred to the organization’s Office of
Professional Responsibility (OPR) for the unauthorized disclosure of
sensitive or classified information, and we now have the records
[[link removed]]
of those referrals.

This comes on the heels of our uncovering an FBI report revealing that
fired FBI Director James Comey kept FBI documents
[[link removed]]
on
President Trump at his house. Comey also admitted to leaking those
documents.

Although the FBI’s OPR does not have its own website, according to
the DOJ’s OPR
[[link removed]],
leak
allegations may come, “from a variety of sources, including U.S.
Attorney’s offices and other Department components, courts,
Congress, media reports, other federal agencies, state and local
government agencies, private citizens, private attorneys, criminal
defendants, civil litigants, and self-referrals. OPR also regularly
conducts its own searches to identify judicial findings of misconduct
against Department attorneys.”

According to the DOJ’s OPR
[[link removed]],
it
“investigates certain misconduct allegations involving federal law
enforcement agents when they relate to a Department attorney’s
alleged professional misconduct, as well as claims of reprisal against
FBI whistleblowers.” “If OPR finds professional misconduct in a
particular case, a different office—the Professional Misconduct
Review Unit—reviews OPR’s findings and determines the appropriate
discipline.” Final recommendations are given to “the appropriate
office.”

We obtained the records through a January 2019 Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) request seeking:

* All complaints, referrals, or other reports received by the
FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility related to the
unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and/or classified information by
any employee of the FBI.
* Any records documenting the closure or other final disposition of
any complaint, referral, or other report described in part one of this
request.

One referral we obtained appears to refer to former Deputy Director
of the FBI Andrew McCabe was closed on March 20, 2018 and states as a
mitigating factor that the “Employee was facing unprecedented
challengers and pressures.”

(Name redacted) (DOJ/O&R) Closed: 3/20/2018 REFERENCES: 2.5,
2.6, 4.10
SES [Senior Executive Service] employee released the FBI Sensitive
information to a reporter and lacked candor not under oath and under
oath when questioned about it, in violation of Offense Codes 4.10
(Unauthorized Disclosure – Sensitive Information); 2.5 (Lack of
Candor- No Oath); and 2.6 (Lack of Candor – Under Oath).

The proposed decision in this matter was made by the AD, OPR. The
final decision was made by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. DOK retains
final decision-making authority for certain high-ranking FBI
officials.

MITIGATION: Employee as (redacted) years of FBI service and a
remarkable performance record. Employee was facing unprecedented
challengers and pressures.

AGGRAVATION: Employee held an extremely high position and was expected
to comport himself with the utmost integrity. Lack of candor is
incompatible with the FBI’s Core Values.
FINAL ACTION(S): OPR PROPOSED DECISION Proposed DISMISSAL

OPR FINAL DECISION: DISMISSAL
McCabe was fired from the FBI on March 16, 2018
[[link removed]],
for leaking to the media and lacking “candor.
[[link removed]
Then-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a statement said:

After an extensive and fair investigation and according to Department
of Justice procedure, the Department’s Office of the Inspector
General (OIG) provided its report on allegations of misconduct by
Andrew McCabe to the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility
(OPR).

The FBI’s OPR then reviewed the report and underlying documents and
issued a disciplinary proposal recommending the dismissal of Mr.
McCabe. Both the OIG and FBI OPR reports concluded that Mr. McCabe had
made an unauthorized disclosure to the news media and lacked candor
− including under oath − on multiple occasions.

***
Pursuant to Department Order 1202, and based on the report of the
Inspector General, the findings of the FBI Office of Professional
Responsibility, and the recommendation of the Department’s senior
career official, I have terminated the employment of Andrew McCabe
effective immediately.”
The records show that penalties for unauthorized disclosure of
sensitive and/or classified information ranged from no action (due to
administrative closure) to, as in the case of McCabe, dismissal. Other
FBI employees’ offenses reported in the documents list several cases
in which the final action was less severe than OPR’s proposal:

* An unidentified employee was fired. The case was closed in July
2016.
* An unidentified employee was given a one-day suspension without
pay. The case was closed in April 2016.
* The following year an unidentified employee received a five-day
suspension without pay, and the case was closed administratively in
April 2017.
* An SES agent who “misused an FBI database, and provided
sensitive information to a former FBI employee” was reported to have
had as mitigation that he felt he “had the support of his Division
to use his discretion.” OPR proposed a 15-day suspension, but the
final decision was to give a letter of censure. This case was closed
in June 2017.
* An unidentified employee was fired. The case was closed in May
2018.
* An unidentified employee was recommended for dismissal but
received a 45-day suspension. The case was closed in October 2017.
* An unidentified employee was given a 14-day suspension. The case
was closed in March 2016.
* An unidentified employee, who was cited for misuse of an FBI
database and unauthorized disclosure of classified/law-enforcement
sensitive/grand jury information, was given a 12-day suspension. The
case was closed in January 2016.
* An unidentified employee received a letter of censure. The case
was closed in August 2016.
* An unidentified employee was given a letter of censure. The case
was closed in October 2016.
* An unidentified employee was accused of “Investigative
deficiency – improper handling of documents or property in the care,
custody or control of the government; unauthorized disclosure –
classified/law enforcement sensitive/grand jury information” and
“failure to report – administrative.” It was proposed that they
be given a 30-calendar day suspension without pay; the final decision
from OPR was that they were given a 10-calendar day suspension without
pay. This case was closed in February 2018.
* An unidentified employee was fired. This case was closed in
October 2017.
* An unidentified employee was given a letter of censure. It was
proposed that they be fired, but the final decision was a 60-day
suspension without pay. The case was closed in January 2019.

This is just a mess. No wonder the FBI was leaking so profusely.
These documents show lenient treatment for evident criminal activity.
Only four of the 14 employees found to have made an unauthorized
disclosure were fired. And even though Andrew McCabe was fired and
referred for a criminal investigation for his leak, he hasn’t been
prosecuted.

JUDICIAL WATCH CHALLENGES MAYOR BUTTIGIEG’S COVER-UP ON ILLEGAL
ALIEN ID CARDS

Sanctuary policies that protect illegal aliens undermine the rule of
law – and they are not just in cities such as San Francisco and New
York.

We just filed an Access to Public Records Act (APRA) open records
lawsuit against the City of South Bend, Indiana, for records of
communications of Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s office related to the
creation of a municipal ID card for illegal aliens. The card was
created by La Casa de Amistad, a local nonprofit corporation
(_Judicial Watch v. City of South Bend
[[link removed]
(No.
71C01-1908-Ml-000389)).

On December 16, 2016, the South Bend Tribune reported
[[link removed]]
that,
“A nonprofit Latino advocacy group … unveiled a new identification
card it hopes will make life easier for undocumented immigrants who
live in [South Bend].” La Casa de Amistad Inc. are the creators of
this “SB ID.
[[link removed]
Mayor Pete
Buttigieg reportedly
[[link removed]]
worked
“closely with La Casa de Amistad, South Bend’s main Latino
outreach center … and the nonprofit’s executive director, Sam
Centellas,” to create a “Community Resident Card … created and
distributed by the group — a private organization — not the
city.” “Buttigieg’s part to make it all work was to sign an
executive order requiring local services and institutions — like law
enforcement, schools, the water utility and libraries — to accept
the card as a valid form of identification.”

We sued after the City of South Bend failed to respond as required by
law to open records requests on June 22, 2019, seeking emails between
Buttigieg, members of his staff and officials of La Casa de Amistad
regarding the Community Resident Card program.

Mayor Buttigieg’s city administration in South Bend is in cover-up
mode on his work for special ID cards to make it easier for illegal
aliens to stay in the United States contrary to law. We made simple
open records requests and have faced nothing but games from the
Buttigieg administration – which is why we had to sue.

ANTI-TRUMP CALIFORNIA TRIES TO UNCONSTITUTIONALLY MESS WITH
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION – JUDICIAL WATCH SUES

Across the country local politicians, prosecutors and judges are
abusing their powers to target President Trump. The latest – no
surprise – is the State of California, which unconstitutionally
demands to see his tax returns before allowing him to appear on the
presidential primary ballot.

We just filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of four California voters to
prevent the California secretary of state from implementing a new
state law requiring all presidential candidates who wish to appear on
California’s primary ballot to publicly disclose their personal tax
returns from the past five years (_Jerry Griffin et al. v. Alex
Padilla
[[link removed]
(No.
2:19-cv-01477).

The suit argues that the law unconstitutionally adds a new
qualification for candidates for president. Our clients include a
registered Independent, Republican, and Democrat California voter.

Under the law, known as the Presidential Tax Transparency and
Accountability Act, candidates who do not publicly disclose their tax
returns are barred from having their names printed on California’s
primary ballots. We argue that SB 27 imposes candidate qualifications
beyond those allowed by the U.S. Constitution and impermissibly
burdens a voters’ expressive constitutional and statutory rights.
The lawsuit claims violations of the U.S. Constitution’s
Qualifications Clause, the First and Fourteenth Amendments, and 42
U.S.C. § 1983 and 1988.

During the 2017-2018 legislative session, then-Governor Jerry Brown
vetoed a previous version of this law, which California’s
Legislative Counsel concluded “would be unconstitutional if
enacted.” In vetoing the 2017-18 tax return law, Brown noted:

First, it may not be constitutional. Second, it sets a “slippery
slope” precedent. Today we require tax returns, but what would be
next? Five years of health records? A certified birth certificate?
High school report cards? And will these requirements vary depending
on which political party is in power? A qualified candidate’s
ability to appear on the ballot is fundamental to our democratic
system. For that reason, I hesitate to start down a road that well
might lead to an ever escalating set of differing state requirements
for presidential candidates.
Our complaint further alleges the political nature of the law, which
is totally divorced from the states’ legitimate constitutional role
in administering and establishing procedures for conducting federal
elections:

None of the interests proffered by the California legislature for
requiring the disclosure of candidates’ tax returns is related to
election procedure or administration. Rather, the stated interests
incorporate particular, substantive judgments about what is most
important for voters to know when considering a candidate, how voters
should go about “estimate[ing] the risk” of a candidate
“engaging in corruption,” and what might assist law enforcement in
detecting violations of the Emoluments Clause and crimes “such as
insider trading.”
***
Unless SB 27 is enjoined, states will assume the power to create their
own qualifications for national candidates seeking to obtain a
party’s nomination for president. This could lead to as many as 50
distinct and possibly inconsistent sets of qualifications regarding
the only national election in the United States. Using rationales
similar to California’s, states might come to demand medical
records, mental health records, sealed juvenile records, driving
records, results of intelligence, aptitude, or personality tests,
college applications, Amazon purchases, Google search histories,
browsing histories, or Facebook friends.
In their zeal to attack President Trump, California politicians passed
a law that unconstitutionally victimizes California voters. A state
can’t amend the U.S. Constitution by adding qualifications to run
for president, and the courts can’t stop this abusive law fast
enough.

Until next week …

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton


Daywatch Updates

[Article-Image]
[[link removed]]

Tom Fitton: Robert Mueller Needs to Be Investigated
[[link removed]]

Today we sit down with Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch,
which uses FOIA, or Freedom of Information Act requests, as well as
litigation, to expose government corruption…

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