Bruce Ohr, the Justice Department official who acted as an unofficial back channel between the FBI and Trump dossier author Christopher Steele, received a hefty bonus bump and a raise as the counterintelligence investigation into President Trump's campaign was underway.

Documents show Ohr received a $28,000 performance bonus in November 2016, which was roughly double the $14,520 he earned 12 months prior.

Ohr was demoted when it was revealed he met with Steele and Glenn Simpson, the co-founder of the opposition research firm Fusion GPS, which commissioned Steele's work.

The documents show he was removed from his position as associate deputy attorney general in December 2017. In January 2018, he was removed from his position as director of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and shifted to counselor for international affairs in the Criminal Division.

The documents, which show Ohr got a $2,600 pay increase, were troubling to Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton.

“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,” Fitton said in a statement.

Steele's dossier, which contained unverified claims about Trump's ties to Russia, has been a subject of concern for GOP lawmakers, particularly for how it was used by the FBI in Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant applications to gain the authority to spy on Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.

The FBI suspended its relationship with Steele in October 2016 for unauthorized contact with the media. Despite this, the FBI maintained an unofficial back channel with Steele up to at least November 2017 via Ohr. The FBI's counterintelligence investigation into Trump's campaign began in late July 2016, and was later wrapped into special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Mueller's team was unable to find sufficient evidence of criminal conspiracy between Trump's team and the Kremlin.

Judicial Watch has several Freedom of Information Act lawsuits against the Justice Department seeking documents related to Ohr. Among their disclosures, Judicial Watch found Ohr's wife Nellie, an independent contractor and Russia specialist, told her husband she was deleting emails sent from his government account in April 2016. The group also obtained records that suggest close working ties between Nellie Ohr and Russia experts at the Justice Department.

Nellie Ohr conducted research on connections between Russia and Trump, having been contracted by Fusion GPS. Bruce Ohr also told lawmakers his wife shared a thumb drive with him to hand over to the FBI.

Both Ohrs testified last year to a joint task force of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees that were investigating decisions made by the Justice Department and FBI surrounding the 2016 election. Citing emails made public by Judicial Watch, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., sent a criminal referral addressed to Attorney General William Barr last month, citing concerns that Nellie Ohr "knowingly provided false testimony" to lawmakers.

Barr is conducting an investigation into the origins of the counterintelligence into Trump's 2016 campaign, which includes a look at the DOJ's and FBI's conduct. He has tasked U.S. Attorney John Durham with leading the review and taking charge of any prosecutions if they detect any criminal activity.