Co-founder of firm behind Trump-Russia dossier will not testify before Senate next week
Source: Politico
By JOSH DAWSEY and KYLE CHENEY 07/13/2017 06:10 PM EDT Updated 07/13/2017 06:26 PM EDT
The co-founder of a political and corporate intelligence firm behind an explosive dossier alleging Russian intelligence influence over President Donald Trump will not testify next week in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to two sources familiar with his plans.
The committee on Wednesday announced a July 19 hearing that listed Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson, a former Wall Street Journal investigative reporter, as a witness. His inclusion raised the specter of public testimony about the dossier's seamy and contested claims of sexual misconduct and a years-long Kremlin conspiracy to get Trump elected. But the request for Simpson to appear was voluntary, and it’s unclear whether the committee will seek to compel his testimony.
Spokespeople for Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) did not respond to requests for comment.
During the 2016 campaign, Simpson’s firm hired the British spy Christopher Steele, who ultimately produced the infamous dossier, which suggests Trump took part in an intricate Kremlin-backed plot to ascend to the White House. He and the White House have strenuously denied the allegations in the document.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/13/co-founder-of-firm-behind-trump-russia-dossier-will-not-testify-before-senate-next-week-240525
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