Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson struck a deal on Wednesday to testify voluntarily before the House Intelligence Committee next week to discuss his opposition research firm’s involvement in the Steele dossier.
Simpson and his lawyer met with members of the committee for several hours to hammer out a deal for his closed-door testimony.
The Daily Caller was informed that Simpson had indicated prior to Wednesday’s meeting that he would plead the Fifth during his deposition, just as his two co-founders, Peter Fritsch and Thomas Catan, did during interviews last month. But as part of the deal struck Wednesday, Simpson will not plead the Fifth.
Simpson’s move comes amid a tense legal battle over Fusion’s bank records. On Friday, Fusion filed papers in federal court in Washington, D.C. asking a judge to issue a temporary restraining order preventing its bank from releasing records related to financial transactions it has had with “any law firm, ‘media company’ or journalist with which it has worked.”
The House committee issued a subpoena early last month to Fusion’s bank for records over the past two years. The panel hoped to identify the political clients who hired the firm to investigate Trump.
Fusion’s two Trump-related clients came forward late last month as it appeared that they would be revealed in the bank records.
Perkins Coie, the law firm that represented the Hillary Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee, released a statement acknowledging that it was the client that financed the dossier. The firm, which represents numerous Democratic politicians and groups, paid $1.02 million beginning in April 2016 to Fusion GPS from Clinton campaign and DNC funds. Two months later, Fusion hired former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele to open an investigation into Trump’s activities in Russia.
Days after Perkins Coie came forward, The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative website, revealed that it hired Fusion GPS in October 2015 to investigate Trump and other political candidates.
The Free Beacon is funded by billionaire anti-Trump Republican donor Paul Singer.
Simpson is likely to be asked about his involvement with the clients as well as briefings he gave to Beltway journalists about the allegations laid out in the dossier. Steele has revealed in court filings in London, where he is being sued, that Fusion directed him during the campaign to brief reporters at outlets like the New York Times, Washington Post, and CNN on his dossier dirt.
The uncorroborated dossier was reportedly used by the FBI as part of the basis to open its investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian government.
They’re cracking.
If these asshats won”t talk, charge them & then they’ll sing.
i wish it were a special council instead of some congressional committee. The committee will only put on a public spectacle and nothing will come of it as usual.
I will be completely surprised if any info comes from Simpson’s testimony. He has partners to protect and the killery goon squad to worry about. The only way to get him and other fusion worms to talk is to charge them with sedition or treason then make a deal for testimony.
Congress is doing an investigation! You know what that means!
Yep. Nothing will ever happen. Like it always never happens.
Yep, have to agree, nothing will come of it…..We’ve been properly conditioned.
Meanwhile Jeff Sessions is riding up and down the halls at the DOJ on a razor, wearing a propellor beanie.
He’ll be found with a bullet in the back and the media will call it suicide
Closed door testimony huh? Break out the booze & womens boys, gotta look like we’re doing something for 4 hours!