Trump says DOJ official should be fired over role in Russia probe

Will Bruce Ohr, whose family received big money for helping to create the phony, dirty and discredited Dossier, ever be fired from the Jeff Sessions “Justice” Department? A total joke!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2018

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The president’s latest attack came days after he said he planned to pull Ohr’s security clearance and called him a “disgrace” over his ties to an opposition research firm that compiled a dossier during the 2016 campaign about Trump’s ties to Russia.

Revoking Ohr’s clearance could severely hamper his ability to do his job and would amount to derailing his career at the Justice Department. But Trump’s comments show he may want the department’s leadership to go even further.

Ohr has come under fire from Republicans for his links to Fusion GPS, the firm behind the controversial dossier. Fusion GPS hired former British spy Christopher Steele to compile the document about Trump during the campaign.

Ohr was demoted late last year after it was revealed he had contacts with Steele. Ohr’s wife, Nellie, also worked for Fusion GPS during the campaign. Trump and his GOP allies have used those ties to argue the special counsel’s Russia probe is tainted by bias.

“‘Bruce Ohr is at the center of FALSE ALLEGATIONS which led to a multi-million dollar investigation into what apparently didn’t happen.’ Darrell Issa, House Oversight. We can take out the word ‘apparently,'” Trump said in a subsequent tweet, citing the Republican congressman’s comments on Fox news.

“Bruce Ohr is at the center of FALSE ALLEGATIONS which led to a multi-million dollar investigation into what apparently didn’t happen.” Darrell Issa, House Oversight. We can take out the word “apparently.” @FoxNews

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2018

Trump has targeted Ohr as part of a broader effort to retaliate against key figures involved in the Russia probe, which is examining ties between his campaign and Moscow’s interference in the 2016 election.

The president has already revoked the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, who briefed Trump on the dossier’s findings and later became a vocal Trump critic.

In a series of morning tweets, Trump dared Brennan to sue him over the revocation and blasted special counsel Robert Mueller’s team of investigators as a “national disgrace.”

Trump is lashing out at a time when he is feeling intense pressure over the Russia probe.

His former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, is facing more than a dozen financial fraud charges brought by Mueller and a verdict could come at any moment. Longtime Trump fixer Michael Cohen is likely to be charged soon over alleged bank fraud, according to a New York Times report. And the Times revealed over the weekend White House counsel Don McGahn has been cooperative with Mueller than previously thought.

–This report was updated at 11:30 a.m.