The Hillary Clinton presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee helped fund research that led to the release of the infamous dossier of allegations against President Donald Trump and his connection to Russia.
A lawyer representing the Clinton campaign and the DNC hired intelligence firm Fusion GPS, which in turn subcontracted former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, whose research makes up the document, according to The Washington Post.
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As part of its representation of the Clinton campaign and the DNC, law firm Perkins Coie retained the intelligence firm Fusion GPS and entered “into an engagement for research services that began in April 2016 and concluded before the election in early November,” CNN reports.
The Perkins Coie lawyer, Marc Elias, sought out Fusion GPS in April as the GOP primary was coming to a close and Trump was becoming increasingly more likely to win the nomination.
Brian Fallon, the Clinton campaign’s national press secretary, posted a series of tweets saying on Tuesday that he wasn’t aware of any connection between the campaign and the dossier penned by Steele.
“I regret I didn’t know about Christopher Steele’s hiring pre-election. If I had, I would have volunteered to go to Europe and try to help him,” Fallon tweeted. “If I’d gotten his dossier before Nov. 8, I may have tried to convince Mook & Podesta to let me hold a Comey-style press conference to read it.”
I regret I didnt know about Christopher Steele’s hiring pre-election. If I had, I would have volunteered to go to Europe and try to help him
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) October 25, 2017
If I’d gotten his dossier before Nov 8, I may have tried to convince Mook & Podesta to let me hold a Comey-style press conference to read it
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) October 25, 2017
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted on Tuesday that the news of the Clinton campaign and DNC funding the dossier research was “the real Russia scandal.”
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The real Russia scandal? Clinton campaign paid for the fake Russia dossier, then lied about it & covered it up. https://t.co/kR8z2zsZ7Q
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) October 25, 2017
President Trump’s most recent tweet about the dossier came this past weekend.
“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)?”
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
The dossier helped fuel investigations into a connection between President Trump and Russia, which included a special counsel probe led by Former FBI director Bob Mueller.
