by TFittonJW
(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 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 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 a Russian businessman who was an alleged source for the anti-Trump dossier. He developed a relationship with Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos in 2016.