It would appear U.S. Attorney John Durham digging into the origin of the ‘vast Russian collusion-conspiracy’ has the founders of Fusion-GPS getting twitchy. The “Mamet Principle”of pretending not to know things was on full display today during a Meet the Press interview with Fusion founders Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch.

For obvious reasons fellow traveler Chuck Todd avoided the most damning lines of questioning including why they hired Nellie Ohr, why Simpson lied to the House intelligence committee, and why Glenn Simpson invoked the fifth amendment in refusing to testify to the House Judiciary Committee.

It was demonstrably evident that Glenn Simpson was working with Russian operative/lobbyist Natalia Velelnitskaya in a 2016 effort against the Trump campaign. However, during the interview today Glenn Simpson takes the defensive position that he was likely tricked by the Russian. WATCH:

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While Fusion-GPS founder Glenn Simpson was domestically working with Russian lobbyist Natalia Veselnitskya. A little reported Russian Deputy Attorney General named Saak Albertovich Karapetyan was working double-agents for the CIA and Kremlin.

Karapetyan was directing the foreign operations of Natalia Veselnitskaya, and Glenn Simpson was assisting her inside the U.S. Glenn Simpson managed Veselnitskaya through the 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Donald Trump Jr. However, once the CIA/Fusion-GPS operation using Veselnitskaya started to unravel with public reporting… back in Russia Deputy AG Karapetyan died in a mysterious helicopter crash.

Additionally back in 2018 Simpson claimed in testimony to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that he did not have contact with any FBI or DOJ officials regarding the infamous Steele dossier until after the 2016 election. But Bruce Ohr’s emails show that he and Simpson were in contact as early as August 2016.

On Page four of the HPSCI memo (pdf here) under point #3 we see the relationship between Fusion-GPS and the FBI as outlined in contacts between Bruce Ohr (DOJ), Nellie Ohr (Fusion GPS), Chris Steele (Dossier Author) and the FBI:

3) Before and after Steele was terminated as a source, he maintained contact with DOJ via then-Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr, a senior DOl official who worked closely with Deputy Attorneys General Yates and later Rosenstein. Shortly after the election, the FBI began interviewing Ohr, documenting his communications with Steele. For example, in September 2016, Steele admitted to Ohr his feelings against then-candidate Trump when Steele said he “was desperate that Donald Trump not get elected and was passionate about him not being president.” This clear evidence of Steele’s bias was recorded by Ohr at the time and subsequently in official FBI files-but not reflected in any of the Page FISA applications. a) During this same time period, Ohr’s wife was employed by Fusion GPS to assist in the cultivation of opposition research on Trump. Ohr later provided the FBI with all of his wife’s opposition research, paid for by the DNC and Clinton campaign via Fusion GPS. The Ohrs’ relationship with Steele and Fusion GPS was inexplicably concealed from the FISC. (link to pdf)

Glenn Simpson is in contact with Bruce Ohr on August 22nd, 2016

Christopher Steele is meeting with Bruce Ohr in September 2016.

The FISA Application was October 21st, 2016.

Nellie Ohr passed on research to her husband Bruce, who passed on to the FBI.

Now take a look at the testimony of Fusion GPS head Glenn Simpson about contact between Fusion GPS and the FBI.

(LINK to pdf Testimony)

Question:

You’ve never heard from anyone in the U.S. government in relation to these matters, either the FBI or the Department of Justice?

Simpson Answer (under oath):

After the election. I mean during the election, no.

That’s a direct lie to congress. Hence Mr. Simpson took the fifth amendment position against self incrimination and refused further testimony to the House Judiciary Committee.