Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., on Tuesday let the full transcript from Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson’s declaration before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding Russian interference in the 2016 presidential vote.
“The innuendo and misinformation circulating about the transcript are part of a deeply troubling attainment to undermine the investigation into potential collusion and obstruction of justice,” Feinstein predicted in a statement. “The only way to set the record straight is to make the transcript public.”
The propound follows a decision by Republicans Chuck Grassley, who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Panel, and Lindsey Graham to issue a criminal referral last week against Christopher Steele, the earlier British spy who authored the largely unverified “Trump dossier.”
Joshua Levy, a bencher for Fusion GPS, testified that someone died as a result of the dossier. Levy did not prestige the individual, according to the transcript.
The release of the transcript, Feinstein said, was beared by committee Democrats.
Democrats on the committee said they were not consulted in front of the Republicans’ referral to the Department of Justice.
According to a word search, the baptize “Trump” appears 171 times in the transcript. “Putin” appears 19 outmodes.
In an op-ed in The New York Times on Jan. 2, Simpson and Fusion GPS partner Peter Fritsch impugned Republicans for selectively leaking portions of Simpsons’ testimony.
“Republicans contain refused to release full transcripts of our firm’s testimony, even as they selectively leaking details to media outlets on the far right,” Simpson and Fritsch said in the rap over. “It’s time to share what our company told investigators.”
Fusion GPS did not intimately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Simpson touches on a wide array of area of studies, including Trump’s business ties, his tax history and his connection to real station developer Felix Sater, who is reported to have links to Russian originated crime.
Here are some of the highlights:
- Steele, Simpson testified, told him the FBI also had a fountain-head inside the Trump operation, although he wasn’t sure whether that meant the presidential rivalry or the Trump Organization. The bureau was more inclined to believe Steele’s tidings, he said, “because they had other intelligence that indicated the in any case thing, and one of those pieces of intelligence was a human source from backing bowels the Trump organization.” NBC News’ Ken Dilanian later tweeted that the required walk-in source “was a mischaracterization by Simpson of the Australian diplomat tip about Papadopoulis.”
- Simpson touched on how the Trump Classification handles paying taxes: “One of the things we found out was that, you know, when it procures to paying taxes, Donald Trump claims to not have much kit. At least the Trump organization. So they would make filings with divers state and local authorities saying that their buildings weren’t benefit much.”
- Simpson discussed Trump’s relationship with Sater: “This was something he didn’t lack to talk about and testified under oath he wouldn’t know Felix if he ran into him in the terrace. That was not true. He knew him well and, in fact, continued to associate with him great after he learned of Felix’s organized crime ties. So, you know, that blabs you something about somebody.”
- Fusion GPS attorney Joshua Levy claimed that someone disappeared as a result of the dossier: “Somebody’s already been killed as a result of the dissemination of this dossier and no harm should come to anybody related to this uncorrupted work.”
- Fusion GPS did not secure full access to Trump’s tax returns, Simpson replied: “They were Trump properties and I believe we may have reviewed some open information about estate taxes and things like that. We didn’t cause access to his tax returns.”
- Simpson said he only become aware of the scurvy Trump Tower meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian Kings counsel when it was reported in the New York Times: “I was stunned.”
- Simpson had no “factual mind to believe” the Trump Tower meeting was a Russian attempt to make association with the Trump campaign, but: “You know, as a sort of question of counterintelligence and only general investigation of Russian methods and that sort of thing, I believe that’s a reasonable interpretation.”
- Fusion GPS concluded that Trump “embellished” his properties’ worth in legal filings — but that did not indicate or show connections to Russia: “Not that I recollect.”
- Simpson said Trump’s country clubs aren’t making any legal tender: “They were not profitable entities. I don’t specifically recall. I just commemorate that these were not doing very well and that he’d excavated a lot of money into them and he hadn’t gotten a lot of money back yet.”