Getty Robert S. Mueller III.
Robert Mueller, the special counsel in the Russia investigation, said he was “not familiar” with the firm that produced the Christopher Steele dossier, Fusion GPS, during his testimony before Congress. You can watch the video later in this article.
Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) asked Mueller during his July 24, 2019 appearance before Congress: “When you talk about the firm that produced the Steele [dossier], the name of the firm that produced that was Fusion GPS. Is that correct?”
Robert Mueller responded: “I’m not familiar, uh, uh with that.”
Chabot: “It’s not a trick question. It was Fusion GPS.”
Chabot went on to say: “Fusion GPS produced the opposition research document widely known as the Steele dossier and the owner of Fusion GPS was Glenn Simpson. Are you familiar?”
“This is outside my purview,” said Mueller.
Here’s video of the exchange:
Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH): “When you talk about the firm that produced the Steele [dossier], the name of the firm that produced that was Fusion GPS. Is that correct?”
Robert Mueller: “I’m not familiar … with that”
Chabot: “It’s not a trick question. It was Fusion GPS”
That exchange came after President Donald Trump mentioned Fusion GPS in a tweet on the day that Mueller appeared for public testimony. “Why didn’t Robert Mueller & his band of 18 Angry Democrats spend any time investigating Crooked Hillary Clinton, Lyin’ & Leakin’ James Comey, Lisa Page and her Psycho lover, Peter S, Andy McCabe, the beautiful Ohr family, Fusion GPS, and many more, including HIMSELF & Andrew W?” the president tweeted.
Here’s what you need to know:
The President’s Son Expressed Disbelief Over Mueller’s Comments on Fusion GPS
GettyRobert Mueller
Donald Trump Jr. didn’t wait long before weighing in on Mueller’s Fusion GPS remarks.
“Does anyone honestly believe that after two years and $50 million Robert Mueller does not know anything about fusion GPS given that it was the genesis of the entire investigation?” he wrote on Twitter. “Has he not opened a paper, even a leftist, one or watched TV in that time? Tough to believe.”
Others also weighed in.
How can Fusion Gps and Steele dossier be outside of Mueller’s “purview” entirely? They provided many of the allegations he spent all that time investigating. He could totally answer those questions that go to his report. #MuellerHearing
Fusion GPS has been at the center of the Trump Russia investigation controversies because of its role in soliciting the infamous anti-Trump dossier peddled by the British spy, Christopher Steele. Fusion GPS is a firm founded by former national journalists.
The Washington Post previously reported that the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee allegedly “helped fund research that resulted in a now-famous dossier” that lobbed salacious allegations about President Donald Trump, Russia, and even so-called “golden showers” into the public debate. Trump has denied the allegations, and the firm behind the dossier, Fusion GPS, has steadfastly refused to release details of its funding sources.
Citing anonymous people familiar with the situation, The Post exclusive reported that “Marc E. Elias, a lawyer representing the Clinton campaign and the DNC, retained Fusion GPS, a Washington firm, to conduct the research. After that, Fusion GPS hired dossier author Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer with ties to the FBI and the U.S. intelligence community, according to the people. Elias and his law firm, Perkins Coie, retained the firm in April 2016 on behalf of the Clinton campaign and the DNC.”
The company has tangled with top Senate Republicans for months over that question but also other issues relating to Russian lobbying. A spokesman for the president’s legal team previously accused the firm of being associated with the Russian lawyer who held a controversial meeting with Donald Trump Jr. The lawyer implied that Trump Jr. was set up, although Fusion GPS says it didn’t know about the meeting.
You can read more about Fusion GPS here.