Twice-Demoted DOJ Official Nearly Doubled His Bonus During Russia Probe

Bruce Ohr, the former top Justice Department official who was twice demoted for misconduct during the Russian probe, nearly doubled his performance bonus during that time.

Documents obtained by Judicial Watch reveal Mr. Ohr received a total of $42,520 in performance bonuses while peddling unverified opposition-research that was ultimately used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to spy on the Trump Campaign.

Mr. Ohr’s bonus nearly doubled from the $14,520 he received in November 2015 to $28,000 in November 2016.

“These documents will raise questions as to whether the conflicted Bruce Ohr, who the FBI used to launder information from Christopher Steele was rewarded for his role in the illicit targeting of President Trump,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

On December 6, 2017, Mr. Ohr was stripped as Associate Deputy Attorney General — the fourth highest position at DOJ — after it was revealed he met with Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson shortly after the presidential election.

The meeting was facilitated by former MI6 British Intelligence Officer Christopher Steele, the author of the anti-Trump dossier. The shadowy smear firm founded was hired by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Clinton Campaign to conduct opposition research on Donald Trump.

Fusion GPS in turn hired Mr. Steele, who was notably the former head of the Russian desk. He almost exclusively used sources linked to the Kremlin and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr. Ohr, whose wife worked for Fusion GPS, was later stripped of his title as director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) in 2018. Nellie Ohr used her husband as a conduit to funnel the dossier to the FBI.

Attorney General William Barr recently assigned U.S. Attorney John H. Durham in Connecticut to investigate the origins of and potential wrongdoings in the Russia probe. The appointment came before the expected release of the review conducted by Inspector General Michael Horowitz.

Mr. Durhan and Inspector General Horowitz are investigating the abuses to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). It allows intelligence agencies to collect information on foreign targets abroad.

Heavily-redacted documents for the FISA warrant application to spy on peripheral campaign advisor Carter Page confirm the dossier peddled to the FBI through Mr. Ohr was the primary justification.

Numerous reports and witness testimony also indicate the FBI attempted to plant confidential informants within the campaign’s circle during the investigation.