Hillary Clinton campaign ‘helped fund Trump dossier’
White House says allegations around infamous intelligence file 'is real Russia scandal'

Hillary Clinton and the and the Democratic National Committee stumped up some of the money that paid for the infamous dossier of allegations about Donald Trump’s links to Russia, insider sources have claimed.
According to The Washington Post, “people familiar with the matter” claim Marc E. Elias, a lawyer representing the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, retained Fusion GPS, a Washington firm, to conduct the research.
It was Fusion GPS that hired former British intelligence office Christopher Steele, the man at the centre of the scandal who wrote the report.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Although the report was given to Elias, “it is unclear how or how much of that information was shared with the campaign and the DNC and who in those organizations was aware of the roles of Fusion GPS and Steele”, says the Post.
CNN previously reported Fusion GPS’s anti-Trump research was initially funded by anti-Trump Republicans during the GOP primaries, and Democrats began paying the research firm later on, after Trump became the presumptive nominee.
Those involved with the Clinton campaign, including former Clinton press secretary Brian Fallon and the Democrats' communications director Xochitl Hinojosa, stressed they were not aware of the connection between the dossier and the campaign but this has not stopped the White House from seizing on the revelations:
Trump has frequently rejected any allegation that he or his campaign colluded with the Kremlin, and the President “has specifically singled out the dossier as an example of what he calls a larger smear campaign”, says The Independent.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
It is understood that some of Steele’s allegations concerning possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, as well as certain salacious details of potential blackmail opportunities, began circulating in Washington in the summer of 2016. It is around this time that the former MI6 operative shared his findings with the FBI, which had begun its own investigation into links between Trump and Russia.
However, the findings could not be verified, and were not published until after Trump had been sworn-in in January, when Buzzfeed leaked the report.
-
‘The trickle of shutdowns could soon become a flood’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Wikipedia: Is ‘neutrality’ still possible?
Feature Wikipedia struggles to stay neutral as conservatives accuse the site of being left-leaning
-
A House of Dynamite, After the Hunt, and It Was Just an Accident
Feature A nuclear missile bears down on a U.S. city, a sexual misconduct allegation rocks an elite university campus, and a victim of government terror pursues vengeance
-
‘The trickle of shutdowns could soon become a flood’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump demands millions from his administration
Speed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Bailouts: Why Trump is rescuing Argentina
Feature The White House approved a $20 billion currency swap with Argentina
-
Judge halts firings during government shutdown
Feature A federal judge blocked President Trump’s plan to cut jobs tied to “Democrat programs,” ruling that his administration violated layoff laws during the shutdown
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leak
Speed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
‘France may well be in store for a less than rocambolesque future’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroom
speed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deployment
Speed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland