Two of the biggest 2016 election scandals link back to the same research firm

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

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.

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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.

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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.