DNC and Clinton Campaign Reportedly Provided Funding to Fusion GPS For Russia/Trump Dossier
In an illuminating new report by the Washington Post, sources familiar with the matter say that the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee helped provide funding to Fusion GPS as Christopher Steele compiled his infamous Russia/Trump dossier.
This news comes in the wake of Trump’s tweet about the dossier’s mystery funders on Saturday:
Workers of firm involved with the discredited and Fake Dossier take the 5th. Who paid for it, Russia, the FBI or the Dems (or all)?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 19, 2017
It had been previously reported that multiple parties had actually funded Fusion GPS’s research, including the FBI post-election. In this case, the DNC and the Clinton campaign were doing so via DNC lawyer Marc E. Elias.
According to the Post, “The Democrats paid for research, including by Fusion GPS, because of concerns that little was known about Trump and his business interests, according to the people familiar with the matter.”
According to the people that the Post spoke with “it is standard practice for political campaigns to use law firms to hire outside researchers in order to ensure their work is protected by attorney-client and work product privileges.” Most notably in the article, it is noted that “at no point” did the DNC or Clinton “direct Steele’s activities”.
At most in the piece, Christopher Steele is described as a sub-contractor via Fusion GPS who were employed by Elias on behalf of the Clinton campaign and DNC.
As the Post reports, “some of Steele’s allegations began circulating in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2016 as the FBI launched its counterintelligence investigation into possible connections between Trump associates and the Kremlin. Around that time, Steele shared some of his findings with the FBI.”
Another tidbit from the article that is quietly mentioned and often forgotten is that the FBI only pulled out of their arrangement with Steele and Fusion GPS after “Steele was publicly identified in news reports.” It is also important to remember—as the article points out—that it has been some of the information in the dossier was verified by the FBI.
Even though Steele was at no point directly employed, this story will likely fuel the more outrageous claims made by the President and his more extreme supporters.
