While no one was looking his way, Devin Nunes left the country, but in a sign that Donald Trump is right about the nation’s porous borders, the California congressman made it back. But Nunes didn’t just slip south to sell some milk in Tijuana. He took a trip across the pond, pulled on his trench coat, and went hunting … for spies.
The Atlantic reports that, while the nation was all caught up in the bit about Trump’s personal attorney pleading guilty to eight counts, and Trump’s campaign chair being found guilty on eight other counts—Nunes had his eyes on the real prize: Information that could bring about the downfall of Bruce Ohr. Who, as everyone know is … (Google, Google, Google) a former associate deputy attorney general once in charge of a drug task force who works at the DOJ on a topic that has nothing whatsoever to do with the Trump-Russia investigation. Unless Trump’s whole real estate money laundering scheme has really been a cover to bring Russian drugs into the country. Which seems way more possible than it should.
In any case, Ohr is at the center of a Republican conspiracy theory that paints him as the man who first told the FBI about former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, and kicked off the whole Russia investigation by promoting the contents of the “dossier.” Donald Trump has called Ohr “a disgrace” and said that Ohr’s actions are “disqualifying” for special counsel Robert Mueller. Because … it doesn’t matter. All this is despite the facts that:
- Ohr is not, and never has been, part of Mueller’s investigation
- The investigation started well before Ohr, or anyone else, talked to Christopher Steele
The funny thing is, Devin Nunes is completely aware of both of those facts. But Nunes has been playing along with the idea that Ohr was part of some Deep State conspiracy going back to his Release The Memo memo. And since the actual start of the Russia investigation involves at least one member of Trump’s campaign gushing enthusiastically about his contact with the Russians, it’s import that someone keep trying to sell some Alternative Facts.
So to put a little flesh on the smoldering bones of his theory, Nunes trekked over to London and began trying to find anyone who might have talked to Ohr. And while he was there, he also decided he would try and find a little dirt on Christopher Steele, by—this is true—requesting meetings with the heads of both MI5 and MI6.
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