Glenn Simpson, the founder of Fusion GPS, the company which compiled an opposition research dossier, defended it in the House, said sources familiar with the testimony.
Simpson stood behind the dossier alleging the Trump campaign colluded with Russia and claimed it was over 70% true. He argued that nothing in the dossier has been proven false so far. However, Simpson refused to answer whether the FBI used the dossier in the initial stage of the probe into Russian interference into the presidential election in 2016.
Simpson’s testimony was described by Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the panel, as one of “the most productive interviews” held so far. Even though he didn’t want to comment on the specifics of it, Schiff said that “a great deal” had been learned from him and noted that the key conclusions of the dossier have been corroborated.
“The reality is that on the most important conclusion of the dossier and Christopher Steele – that is that the Russians were actively intervening in the election to help Donald Trump – that conclusion has now been borne out, and Christopher Steele found evidence of that before our own intelligence agencies potentially were aware of that,” he said.
Schiff also said that the transcript of the testimony may be released, but pointed out that it would not be wise to do so while an investigation is still underway as it may prompt witnesses to change their testimony.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the credibility of the dossier’s contents and has denied their truthfulness. During last year’s presidential primaries, Fusion GPS was paid by Republican donors to collect opposition research on Trump, and later on his opponent, Hillary Clinton commissioned the company for the research that was used to compile Steele’s explosive dossier.
The president and his Republican allies used the fact that Fusion GPS was paid by the Perkins Cole law firm on behalf of Clinton and the Democratic National Committee to claim that the dossier was intended to undermine him.
“Clinton campaign & DNC paid for research that led to the anti-Trump Fake News Dossier. The victim here is the President,” Trump tweeted last month.
The House Intelligence Committee hasn’t decided yet whether a transcript of the six and a half-hour testimony will be released. Simpson’s lawyer Joshua Levy said he hoped it would.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been urged by Republicans in Congress to open an investigation into whether the FBI relied on the dossier, without confirming its details, to justify surveillance warrants on Trump’s associates.
Democrats praised Simpson, while Republicans called his testimony “rambling”, which Levy claimed was an attempt to “smear Fusion GPS because of its connection to the Steele dossier.”
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