Newly declassified records reportedly show that a key figure in the Crossfire Hurricane investigation lied to Congress about her involvement in the scheme to accuse Donald Trump of Russian collusion during his first presidential campaign. The documents were released by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa as a part of the Senate Judiciary Committee probe into the origins of the collusion narrative. 'The DOJ’s inaction on Nellie Ohr’s criminal referral — despite the obviously incriminating evidence provided in the FBI’s own analysis — undermines public trust in the rule of law.' The FBI analysis from 2019 was declassified at Grassley's request, through his role as the chair of the Judiciary Committee. It documents the evidence that Nellie Ohr, researcher for Fusion GPS, had lied during sworn testimony before Congress about the opposition research firm that had been hired by the Democratic National Committee as well as the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. In one instance, Ohr testified that she had taken ham radio classes before hiring on at Fusion GPS, but it was later discovered that she had taken the classes during her employment at the firm. Grassley said the FBI analysis concluded that Ohr had lied but that the DOJ declined to prosecute her at the time. He also claimed the FBI prevented agents from "reviewing all relevant information necessary to perform a full analysis" of Ohr's allegedly criminal testimony. In addition to several alleged lies Ohr told in her testimony, the analysis found reasonable evidence to conclude that Ohr "may have been involved" with drafting parts of the infamous Steele dossier, as well as conspiring with her husband, Bruce Ohr, who worked as an associate deputy attorney general at the Justice Department, to pass her work on to FBI officials. “By lying to Congress, Nellie Ohr showed contempt for congressional oversight and the American people. What’s more, the FBI and DOJ’s failure to hold Ohr accountable for appearing to commit multiple felonies and its obstructive conduct against agents that sought additional information reveals the agencies’ deeply disturbing political bias," said Grassley in a statement released Wednesday. RELATED: Russian intelligence said Hillary Clinton approved campaign plan to tie Trump to Russian election interference, reveals Trump intel director Photo by: John Lazenby/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images "Ohr never suffered consequences for advancing the phony Trump-Russia narrative and attempting to cover up her involvement in the hoax. Yet time and again, the American justice system has been weaponized against President Trump and his associates with reckless abandon," he added. He went on to praise FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi for their part in releasing the 43-page document from 2019. “The DOJ’s inaction on Nellie Ohr’s criminal referral — despite the obviously incriminating evidence provided in the FBI’s own analysis — undermines public trust in the rule of law," he concluded. In 2023, Special Counsel John Durham concluded in his report that the FBI had been biased against Trump when it investigated the allegations of Russian collusion and that the agency had found no evidence to substantiate the Steele dossier. Here's more about the Crossfire Hurricane scandal: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President Donald Trump's State Department is leveraging the nation's visa program to protect Americans from foreign speech censors, marking a monumental shift for free expression.Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that the department would no longer grant visas for foreign nationals pushing to censor American speech.'America has the world's strongest free-speech protections, but for years other countries have undermined those protections by globalizing their censorship regimes.'He wrote in a post on X, "For too long, Americans have been fined, harassed, and even charged by foreign authorities for exercising their free speech rights.""Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy that will apply to foreign officials and persons who are complicit in censoring Americans. Free speech is essential to the American way of life — a birthright over which foreign governments have no authority," Rubio stated.RELATED: Trump halts student visas to bolster national security vetting: Report Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesHe added in a separate post, "Foreigners who work to undermine the rights of Americans should not enjoy the privilege of traveling to our country. Whether in Latin America, Europe, or elsewhere, the days of passive treatment for those who work to undermine the rights of Americans are over."Rubio's announcement followed Vice President JD Vance's speech at the Munich Security Conference in February, during which he expressed concern that American and European values are dangerously diverging. Vance specifically pointed to the erosion of freedom of speech protections in Europe."In Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat," he stated. "So I come here today, not just with an observation, but with an offer. And just as the Biden administration seemed desperate to silence people for speaking their minds, so the Trump administration will do precisely the opposite."Vance expressed interest in working with Europe to fortify free-speech protections and end censorship.RELATED: Liberals freaked out over Vance's Munich speech. Just wait till they read the State Department's Substack. Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty ImagesNico Perrino, the executive vice president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, told Blaze News, "America has the world's strongest free-speech protections, but for years other countries have undermined those protections by globalizing their censorship regimes."Perrino explained that in the past, the federal government has attempted to protect Americans from foreign censorship. He highlighted the 2010 SPEECH Act, which blocks foreign defamation rulings flouting First Amendment standards from being enforced in the U.S."The Trump administration appears to recognize the problem, and it's generally a good thing that the administration is seeking solutions to protect Americans from foreign efforts to erode their First Amendment rights," Perrino added. "How this new policy will be implemented, and whether it will have its desired effect, remains to be seen." — (@) During February's Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, Vance criticized the EU's Digital Services Act for restricting speech on America-based technology platforms. "Many of our most productive tech companies are forced to deal with the EU's Digital Services Act and the massive regulations it created about taking down content and policing so-called misinformation," Vance said. "For some, the easiest way to avoid the dilemma has been to simply block EU users in the first place."Rubio's visa ban addresses Vance's warnings about global censorship, concerns that U.S.-based technology leaders have also echoed, with the EU's restrictions directly impacting American platforms, including Elon Musk's X and Chris Pavlovski's Rumble.On Wednesday, Pavlovski praised Rubio for implementing the new visa restrictions against foreign censors, calling the move "an incredible win for free speech."Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X, also expressed her support."We stand right alongside you, @SecRubio," she wrote in a post on the social media platform.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The album reveals gloriously raucous power pop that draws on new wave, psychedelia and British Invasion rock. The post The Bongos Unearth a Sizzling 1985 Live Set: Review appeared first on Best Classic Bands.

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