Michael Sussman Should Probably Be Concerned

Michael Sussman is getting what I'm sure is, for him, unwanted attention in the wake of the release of transcripts of House interviews of persons connected to the Russia Hoax investigation. I've mentioned Sussman before--many times. Pay particular attention to James Baker And Michael Sussman Revisited, and recall that James Baker is now said to be cooperating with John Durham's investigation. Here's a brief intro to Sussman, which should leave no doubt as to why he's important for the Russia Hoax investigation:

Michael Sussmann, formerly with the U.S. Department of Justice, is a nationally-recognized privacy, cybersecurity and national security attorney. He is engaged on some of the most sophisticated, high-stakes matters today, such as his representation of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in their responses to Russian hacking in the 2016 presidential election.

However, Sussman's involvement goes far, far, beyond that. It was Sussman who connected Glenn Simpson's Fusion GPS with the Clinton campaign--laundering that connection through his Perkins Coie law firm (a possible election law violation). Anyone who thinks Sussman wouldn't have vetted Simpson hires for the Russia Hoax--such as Nellie Ohr and Chris Steele--should immediately reconsider. In fact, we now know from Steele's London testimony that Steele did meet with Sussman personally.

It was also Sussman who personally went to FBIHQ to meet with his friend James Baker and peddle the fake Alfa Bank story. And the FBI did, in fact, open an investigation into that hoax, with Baker fully aware of Sussman's deep connectins to the Clinton campaign. Here's how Kim Strassel characterized that meeting (Who Is Michael Sussman?):

Why Did The FBI Stop Documenting Its Contacts With Chris Steele?

This past Monday I adverted to a circumstance that Margot Cleveland dug up from perusing the Horowitz Dossier--which is slowly being revealed as a gold mine of information (albeit partial) on the Russia Hoax: Cleveland: OIG Report Fingers Team Mueller. The nugget that caught my attention was the previously unknown fact that that Team Mueller continued to contact Chris Steele--supposed author of the eponymous dossier--until nearly the end of 2017. They did this, using Bruce Ohr as a cut-out, but they didn't document those meetings. Here's what I wrote about that:

Horowitz Reports Steele Meetings With Clinton Lawyers

What could be less surprising than Chris Steele meeting with the people who were paying him? Still, I'm sure they tried to keep meets to the minimum that were essential.

Here's the date that really interests me. September 23, 2016.

Horowitz reported that Steele met with Perkins Coie in July 2016, on or about Sep 23, 2016 and Oct 2016.  I don't recall this being known previously. Can anyone recall prior reports of Steele-Perkins Coie meetings on these dates? pic.twitter.com/hgVnlx3F8j

— Stephen McIntyre (@ClimateAudit) December 15, 2019

As I like to bring up, Steele was part of an extraordinary meeting in mid-September, 2016, that included future Team Mueller hotshots Andrew Weissmann and Zainab Ahmad, veteran DoJ Clintonista Bruce Swartz, Bruce Ohr, Lisa Page, and Peter Strzok. I've maintained that this looked like a meeting to tell Steele what they needed in the "dossier" so they could get the FISA on Carter Page. It's unquestionably a strategy meeting. And a few days later Steele meets with Michael Sussman, the Dems' real evil legal genius when it comes to elections.

Can I swear that the proximity of the two meetings wasn't coincidence. I suppose not, but I wouldn't want to bet that it is coincidence. In fact, if I were an investigator I'd be operating on the assumption that it sure wasn't a coincidence.

(It's About Pressure Points, passim)

Who Wrote The Dossier--And Does It Matter?

The release of heavily (and absurdly) redacted copies of the Bruce Ohr FD-302s--in which Ohr recounts what Chris Steele and Glenn Simpson told him--has renewed interest in the authorship of the "Steele" dossier. Because the 302s basically amount--for the most part--to a rehash of the dossier. There are, to be sure, some added details. For example, it turns out that Steele was in contact with John McCain's office at a very early point in the development of the dossier--prior to October, 2016.

Dan Bongino did a very nice interview this morning with Fox. In it he articulated in fairly persuasive fashion his theory on the dossier. Basically--and this is the 25 words or less version, more or less--Bongino believes that Steele was the "front man" for the dossier, but that Nellie Ohr wrote it. In other words, Steele provided cred for the dossier--he was former MI6 and had worked in Russia (albeit long ago), and he was a known informant for the FBI in a major international case. Here's that interview:

It pays to listen closely, or maybe listen to the interview more than once. I presented the brief version, but Bongino's full version is a bit more nuanced than that. He points out, naturally, that Steele may have been "a part" of putting together the eponymous dossier. But, he notes, we know that Nellie Ohr put together a different dossier--a dossier on Paul Manafort. More on that in just a moment. However, as he has in the past, Bongino also pushes the notion that a 2007 article by Glenn Simpson (Nellie's boss at Fusion GPS) in the WSJ actually amounted to the dossier--all that was done, claims Bongino, is change a few names.

UPDATED: The Bruce Ohr 302s

Yes, they're available--in heavily redacted form. From my perspective there's very little new or significant in the unredacted portions. What the 302s contain for the most part is a rehash of the dossier narrative--which the FBI got from Steele earlier. The contacts recorded in the 302s begin in late November, 2016--after Trump's election. Ohr recounts his contacts with both Chris Steele and Glenn Simpson of Fusion GPS, and both appear to be telling the same story: Carter Page and then Michael Cohen were Trump go-betweens to Russia, the Alfa Bank server really was a communication link from Trump to Russia, not spam, etc. I have to wonder whether the purpose of these 302s is, from the FBI perspective, some sort of CYA exercise to make believe that this is new information that fueled the continuation of the Crossfire Hurrican investigation.

The one tidbit that was new was that Ohr states that Steele was in contact with John McCain's office "before October, 2016."

UPDATE 1: OK, I missed this:

Paul Sperry‏

@paulsperry_ 

BREAKING: Glenn Simpson was talking directly to Victoria Nuland at the State Dept. during the 2016 campaign, tying Hillary Clinton closer to the conspiracy,according to just-released FBI agent Joseph Pientka's 302 summaries of interviews with Bruce Ohr uncovered by Judicial Watch 

5:49 PM - 8 Aug 2019

UPDATE 2: ht/t GP: As I stated above:

The Bruce Ohr 302s revealed that Christopher Steele was in direct contact with then-Senator John McCain’s office BEFORE the election, prior to October of 2016 — much earlier than previously known.

“Steele also told OHR that he spoke with a staff member of Senator John McCain’s office sometime prior to October 2016. Steele had this conversation at the request of [REDACTED]. Since October 2016, Steele had not spoken to anyone regarding the Trump dossier,” the 302 report said. 

The interesting question, of course, is: Was McCain in contact with anyone else during this time period re the dossier? Other Senators, Representatives, Executive Branch officials, journalists?

Bruce Ohr 302s--This Should Be Interesting

Not much to say about this. My understanding is that the 302s were supposed to have been written up by the elusive Joe Pientka, formerly Peter Strzok's right hand guy. Pientka also took notes for Strzok during the frame up--er, interview--of Michael Flynn. He's said to be cooperating, which I suppose explains why he's so elusive:

@TomFitton

BREAKING: FBI Will Produce Bruce Ohr 302 reports on his contacts with Clinton-DNC-FBI spy Christopher Steele to @JudicialWatch. @RealDonaldTrumpTom Fitton added,

3:26 PM - 1 Aug 2019

OK, I'll say something more: Maybe Joe diGenova was right when he said we'd be seeing a lot of declass soon.