Two of the biggest 2016 election scandals link back to the same research firm
![Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QErih29QhhEtUSqKrQA8Kk-1024-80.jpg)
The research firm responsible for compiling a salacious, unverified dossier about President Trump also uncovered a scoop about Hillary Clinton that was teased to Donald Trump Jr. by Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya during a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower, Reuters reports.
Veselnitskaya's report tied two of Clinton's donors to the alleged evasion of millions in Russian taxes. Veselnitskaya had touted having compromising intelligence on Clinton — Trump Jr. agreed to set up the meeting with an email that enthused "I love it" — but Trump's allies were ultimately unimpressed by Veselnitskaya's attempt to portray some of Clinton's campaign donations as "stolen" Russian money.
Veselnitskaya reportedly received the legal research memo compiled by the firm Fusion GPS in December 2014, when working with a Russian client against American-British financier William Browder, who was allied with fellow financiers known as the Ziff Brothers. The brothers were responsible for donations to a Clinton charity that Veselnitskaya unsuccessfully attempted to portray as scandalous to Trump Jr. in 2016.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
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.
Separately, Fusion GPS' Trump dossier was paid for in part by a Perkins Coie attorney representing Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Read the full report at Reuters here.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Today's political cartoons - February 9, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - personal data, trans athletes, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 tit-for-tat cartoons about Trump's trade war
Cartoons Artists take on Canada, Mexico, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The catastrophic conflict looming in the heart of Africa
In the Spotlight Showdown between DR Congo and Rwanda have been a long time coming
By The Week UK Published
-
Federal judges block Trump citizenship order
Speed Read A second judge has blocked the president's order to end citizenship for children born on American soil to parents without legal status
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
DOGE official at Treasury resigns after racist posts
Speed Read Marko Elez's ability to access the Treasury's central government payment system has been rescinded
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Trump orders ban on trans female athletes
speed read The order directs the federal government to withhold funding from schools that do not comply
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Musk's DOGE gains access to Medicare, eyes FAA
speed read The billionaire said his Department of Government Efficiency will make 'rapid safety upgrades' to our air traffic control systems
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump: US 'will take over' Gaza, without Palestinians
Speed Read President Trump has suggested the US take ownership of Gaza, permanently displacing more than two million Palestinian residents
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Democrats try to stop Trump's USAID closure
Speed Read Trump and Elon Musk are attempting to dismantle the US Agency for International Development, a move congressional Democrats say is illegal
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China rattle markets
Speed read The tariffs on America's top three trading partners are expected to raise the prices of everything from gas and cars to tomatoes and tequila
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published