WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray on Friday requesting materials concerning the FBI’s interactions with Michael Sussmann and Bruce Ohr. The chairman also reiterated his request, made Wednesday at a committee hearing at which Director Wray was a witness, for a meeting about the committee’s outstanding oversight requests.
Johnson’s letter to the FBI Director Wray can be found here and below:
October 12, 2018
The Honorable Christopher Wray
Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20535
Dear Director Wray:
The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is continuing its oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). I respectfully write to request material concerning the FBI’s interactions with Michael Sussmann and Bruce Ohr and to reiterate my request for a meeting about the Committee’s outstanding oversight requests.
According to public reports, former FBI General Counsel James Baker met with Michael Sussmann, an attorney with the Perkins Coie law firm, which retained Fusion GPS in 2016 to research allegations about then-candidate Donald Trump. Fusion GPS hired Christopher Steele —author of the Steele dossier—and Mr. Sussmann allegedly provided the FBI with information “related to Russian interference in the election, hacking and possible Trump connections.” According to separate reporting, the FBI met at least 12 times with Justice Department official Bruce Ohr, who “began feeding information to the FBI from dossier author Christopher Steele in late 2016.” To better understand the FBI’s interactions with these two individuals, I request that you produce all communications and documents, including the FD-302s, memorializing the FBI’s communications with Michael Sussmann and Bruce Ohr.
During your testimony on October 10, 2018, we discussed a number of my outstanding oversight requests. These oversight requests include requests about the FBI’s redaction of documents produced to Congress, then-Director Comey’s briefing to then President-elect Trump about the Steele Dossier in January 2017, reports of senior Justice Department officials discussing recording the President, and the FBI’s involvement in the John Doe investigations in Wisconsin. I appreciate your commitment to meet with me about my outstanding requests and I look forward to our discussion.
The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized by Rule XXV of the Standing Rules of the Senate to investigate “the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of all agencies and departments of the Government.” Additionally, S. Res. 62 (115th Congress) authorizes the Committee to examine “the efficiency and economy of all branches of the Government including the possible existence of fraud, misfeasance, malfeasance, collusion, mismanagement, incompetence, corruption, or unethical practices….”
If you have any questions about these requests, please ask your staff to contact Brian Downey or Kyle Brosnan of the Committee staff at (202) 224-4751. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Ron Johnson
Chairman
cc: The Honorable Claire McCaskill
Ranking Member
The Honorable Jeff Sessions
Attorney General
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