Fusion GPS Co-Founder: ‘Not Convinced’ Anti-Trump Dossier Shows Any Crime Was Committed

** Title edited to fit **

Brei tbart - Fusion GPS Co-Founder: ‘Not Convinced’ Anti-Trump Dossier Shows Any ‘Specific Crime’ Was Committed

TEL AVIV — Glenn R. Simpson, the co-founder of the controversial opposition research firm Fusion GPS, admitted in testimony he was not “convinced” that any “specific crime” was committed by Donald Trump’s presidential campaign when ex-British spy Christopher Steele approached the FBI about the contents of the infamous, 35-page anti-Trump dossier produced by Simpson’s company.

Fusion GPS hired Steele to do the work cited in the anti-Trump dossier.

In November 14 testimony before the House Select Committee on Intelligence released last week, Simson was asked to comment on “allegation versus fact” when it came to the anti-Trump charges inside the dossier.

Here is a transcript of Simpson’s response (emphasis added):

Click link for article...

Well that is an interesting turn of events. Simpson, from FusionGPS, now says he did not see anything illegal in the dossier in terms of Trump collusion / Trump administration actions.

The Russia narrative seems to be falling out of the sky like blue ice.

Everyone who initially pushed this dossier, who are now backing away from / disavowing it, speaks volumes. It tells me the dossier was nothing more than what everyone else has been saying - a hit job that was designed to either knock Trump out of the election or to undermine his presidency to the extent of trying to get him impeached.

Further -

I think it’s a great question. The – you know, I mean, essentially we ended up spending almost a year on this project. And, you know, it was a private –because it’s all private work in the sense of nongovernmental, without any legal process to compel production of information, we can only reach a certain point.

And at the time that we — you know, that Chris decided to take this to the FBI, I wasn’t convinced of the facts of anything in terms of – I wasn’t convinced that there was a specific crime that occurred. I thought it was a possible crime of progress and that there was possibly very serious crimes, but, you know, I’m an ex-journalist, so I’m not really in a position to prove that anyone’s engaged in a crime. I mean, you know, sometimes you do find proof of criminal activity in investigation, but more often than not you find things that are suggestive or raise questions.

In the same testimony, Simpson admitted he is not sure whether some of the most controversial claims inside the dossier are true or false.

To those who keep claiming the dossier was never debunked care to comment on the fact the people behind the dossier arent even supporting its claims anymore?

As has been stated when this crap[ started. Mueller's independent counsel existence is based on a non existent crime and needs to be shut down. It does not meet the legal minimums to be in compliance with the law. Everything obtained from his investigation was illegally obtained by committing a fraud on the court. The release a few weeks back of the FISA report issued by the FISA court further supports the illegitimacy of the special counsel and the investigations into Trump.

Time to start charging the people who brought this disaster by lying to get it started.

Also -
* - The FBI did in fact make payments to Steele.
* - The FBI used the dossier as a "road map" for this witch hunt.
* - The FBI did in fact use the dossier in their FISA warrant application.
* - 2 previous attempts to get FISA warrants were denied by the court.
* - The 3rd FISA warrant request used the dossier to get the judge to sign off on it.

Simpson is now throwing Steele under the bus by stating FusionGPS had nothing to do with Steele getting the dossier to the FBI.

In August 22 testimony released earlier this month and reviewed in full by Breitbart News, Simpson stated that Steele’s outreach to the FBI was “something that Chris took on on his own.” Simpson also stated that as far as he knew Fusion GPS did not fund Steele’s trip to Rome to meet with the FBI. He said he believes that the trip expenses may have been reimbursed by the FBI.

Other sources -
* - Simpson House Intel transcript - Tuesday
November14 2017
* - Breitbart - Fusion GPS Co-Founder: I Don’t Know Whether Trump Dossier Shock Claims Are True
* - Washington PostSteele reportedly traveled to Rome, where he met with an FBI contact to supply the agency with the anti-Trump dossier and other information he found during the course of his opposition work.
* - **PDF** - INTERVIEW OF: GLENN SIMPSON TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017
* - CNN - FBI reimbursed some expenses of dossier author
* - Breitbart - Report: FBI Using ‘Peeing Russian Prostitutes’ Dossier as ‘Roadmap’ for 2016 Investigation
* - CNN - FBI used dossier allegations to bolster Trump-Russia investigation
* - Weekly Standard - House Republicans and Democrats Spar Over Memo Alleging FISA Abuses

Thank you, X! I really appreciate you taking the time to put this together, and especially your insight into the lack of a legal foundation for all of this.

Mueller's independent counsel existence is based on a non existent crime and needs to be shut down. It does not meet the legal minimums to be in compliance with the law. Everything obtained from his investigation was illegally obtained by committing a fraud on the court. The release a few weeks back of the FISA report issued by the FISA court further supports the illegitimacy of the special counsel and the investigations into Trump.

It's unconscionable that the system and legal process has been so shamefully manipulated and compromised.

After Obama was elected, I quickly got the feeling that his only motivation to be a "Constitutional Scholar" was to understand how to best undermine the Constitution... just like this.

I'm going to read some of the links now -- thanks again!

a reply to: Xcathdra

If true this is most of the things liberals have denied.

a reply to: Xcathdra

Well, the Fusion GPS Co-Founder may not be convinced that the anti-Trump dossier shows any crime was committed, but I'm convinced that the dossier was used to commit a crime, that being the illegal spying of as political opponent during a Federal Election Campaign - and this is the crux of the matter.

originally posted by: Sublimecraft
a reply to: Xcathdra

Well, the Fusion GPS Co-Founder may not be convinced that the anti-Trump dossier shows any crime was committed, but I'm convinced that the dossier was used to commit a crime, that being the illegal spying of as political opponent during a Federal Election Campaign - and this is the crux of the matter.

I think the dossier was used to try and provide legal cover for the spying that was already, and illegally, occurring. Keep in mind the memo in Congress is due to be released hits week.

Given how quickly Mueller has moved on to Trump is also, imo, telling. Right now it looks like a race between Mueller wanting to interview Trump and Nunes wanting to get the memo out.

Who gets there first? Hell even political analysts have commented on the pace of Mueller's investigation and how quickly it sped up.

a reply to: Xcathdra

Aside from the dossier is it possible that there is something to Fusion GPS using the 702 as a contractor ? You got the Ore's connection's inside Fusion and the FBI... I thought it was McCain that gave the FBI the report ? Why would Steel need to go to Rome to tell the FBI when I am sure there are agents in London ... The FBI paying him to go there is also kind of dumb when all you would have to do is tell the agent to go where ever Steel was .

a reply to: the2ofusr1

To be honest it sounds to me like they were creating a situation that would be hard to track if someone started looking into the situation. Since Steele is based out of the UK and worked on the Dossier it would be easy to check travel records of people who might be linked to it who traveled to the UK.

Meeting in a different European city would reveal a person traveled there but would not give much else to go on if someone was looking into it.

We already saw that blow up in Steeles face once where it was reported a Trump associate met a Russian in an East European city. When they looked into after the fact it turns out it was someone else with the same name.

a reply to: Xcathdra

Fantastic OP! Appreciate you took the time to pull it together, with all the sources....

Too bad the general public will never see all this.

Strzok’s text about the meeting in McCabe’s office is dated August 16, 2016. As we’ll see, the date is important. According to Agent Strzok, with Election Day less than three months away, Page, the bureau lawyer, weighed in on Trump’s bid: “There’s no way he gets elected.” Strzok, however, believed that even if a Trump victory was the longest of long shots, the FBI “can’t take that risk.” He insisted that the bureau had no choice but to proceed with a plan to undermine Trump’s candidacy: “It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40.”

Criminal conspiracy

The Steele dossier was the insurance policy.

To the ensure witch hunt with the sole purpose of undermining the current president.

This is why any material (memo) needs to be released to the public, and expose those frauds for what they are.

TRAITORS to the republic.

There were layers of insulation between the Clinton campaign and Steele — the campaign and the Democratic party retained a law firm, which contracted with Fusion GPS, which in turn hired the former spy. At some point, though, perhaps early on, the FBI and DOJ learned that the dossier was actually a partisan opposition-research product. By then, they were dug in. No one, after all, would be any the wiser: Hillary would coast to victory, so Democrats would continue running the government; FISA materials are highly classified, so they’d be kept under wraps. Just as it had been with the Obama-era’s Fast and Furious and IRS scandals, any malfeasance would remain hidden. Read more at: www.nationalreview.com...

I know a really SILLY person who will believe in the dossier until her death. It's like her Santa.

a reply to: network dude

Perhaps her silly beliefs will end when the dossier becomes the ticket to convict others beside the target

I want consequences! Dammit!

I want Mueller and all involved shot if this proves true and convicted of treason.

Doesn't matter if they are repubs or not.

I DON'T want to hear a "my bad" sorry.

They all knew it was phony to begin with.

From hillary to Rice to Holder. Take them all out.

Start ending blood lines. Chem castration.

This doesnt mean what brietbart and the OP think it does. Hell the answer is right in the quoted part of the testimony linked by both (which is really odd for Brietbart because normally they dont put the information that contradicts their headline in the actual article.)

I wasn’t convinced that there was a specific crime that occurred. I thought it was a possible crime of progress and that there was possibly very serious crimes, but, you know, I’m an ex-journalist, so I’m not really in a position to prove that anyone’s engaged in a crime.

All he said was he couldnt do the necessary followups that would prove criminality because he isnt a prosecutor/law enforcement.

a reply to: Pyle

Lolololol

ok

As a person who was in law enforcement I am saying no laws were broke.

originally posted by: Xcathdra
a reply to: Pyle

Lolololol

ok

As a person who was in law enforcement I am saying no laws were broke.

But is not currently and cant do the proper investigation to prove no laws were broken. Which is the same situation Fusion GPS was in.

originally posted by: Pyle

originally posted by: Xcathdra
a reply to: Pyle

Lolololol

ok

As a person who was in law enforcement I am saying no laws were broke.

But is not currently and cant do the proper investigation to prove no laws were broken. Which is the same situation Fusion GPS was in.

and yet my comment stands.

What laws were broken? Collusion is not a crime and does not exist in the Federal body of law (criminal).

originally posted by: Xcathdra

originally posted by: Pyle

originally posted by: Xcathdra
a reply to: Pyle

Lolololol

ok

As a person who was in law enforcement I am saying no laws were broke.

But is not currently and cant do the proper investigation to prove no laws were broken. Which is the same situation Fusion GPS was in.

and yet my comment stands.

What laws were broken? Collusion is not a crime and does not exist in the Federal body of law (criminal).

There is a reason people keep using collusion instead of conspiracy. One isnt a crime and is pushed by Trump himself, the other is a crime and you dont hear a peep about it except in the Mueller lead indictments and peal deals.

Means Mueller is keeping a tight ship and people have fallen for GOP narrative change.

a reply to: Pyle

and again Collusion is not a crime in the federal body of law (criminal). Also no, Trump did not push the collusion bs to start with. That was courtesy of the left wing media idiots and their lapdogs in Congress with D's after their names.

Conspiracy, so you know, is a definition and means more than one person. You still have to have a law that is broken in order to bring a conspiracy charge.

Since you deflected I will ask you again.

What laws were broken.

originally posted by: Xcathdra
a reply to: Pyle

and again Collusion is not a crime in the federal body of law (criminal). Also no, Trump did not push the collusion bs to start with. That was courtesy of the left wing media idiots and their lapdogs in Congress with D's after their names.

Conspiracy, so you know, is a definition and means more than one person. You still have to have a law that is broken in order to bring a conspiracy charge.

Since you deflected I will ask you again.

What laws were broken.

Possible crimes:

Money Laundering

Blackmail

Election fruad

Obstruction of Justice

Witness tampering

Making false statements to law enforcement

Conspiracy to commit kidnapping for illegal extradition to Turkey

Failure to report foreign nationals attempts to interfere with US Elections.

Attempting to gain access to stolen information for personal gain.

Just to name a few that we have public information for but cant follow up on to prove criminality because we are not law enforcement doing an investigation.

a reply to: Pyle

Nothing of what you listed occurred. You have to understand the requirements/ elements for the crime before claiming it was violated.

Money Laundering - An action that requires the person to know the money being used in the transaction was illegally obtained from another crime. Trump never laundered money, either receiving or sending.

Blackmail - 18 USC 873 - Whoever, under a threat of informing, or as a consideration for not informing, against any violation of any law of the United States, demands or receives any money or other valuable thing, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. Trump never blackmailed anyone.

Election Fraud - Elaborate on this one because this is the first time I have seen this baseless accusation. Based on all info available Trump did not commit election fraud.

Obstruction of Justice - A person cannot be charged with obstruction of justice for exercising his/her constitutional authority. The President is the chief law enforcement officer of the US. Obstruction requires a nefarious intent. Telling the head of the FBI you hoped someone is not charged is not obstruction.

Witness Tampering - 18 USC 1512 - No witnesses were tampered with by Trump.

False statements to law enforcement - 18 USC 1001 - He never lied to law enforcement.

Kidnapping / Turkey - Never happened.

Foreign nationals US election - You are confusing Trump with Obama and his administration who didnt bother to stop Russia. Trump had nothing to do with Russia in this area.

Access for personal gain - Again no.

Let me try this again. List crimes that are consistent with facts and not just regurgitated from left wing media outlets or other people who are ignorant of the law and how it works.