Campaign Action
Glenn R. Simpson and Peter Fritsch, the founders of Fusion GPS, the firm who hired former British spy Christopher Steele to look into Donald Trump’s curious dealing with shady Russian contacts, penned an absolutely bombshell op-ed in the New York Times calling for Republicans in Congress to quit blocking the release of their 21 hours of testimony before the congressional committee investigating the collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.
In the op-ed, Simpson and Fritsch accuse Republicans of blocking the full release of their testimony, which they say contains jaw-dropping information the public deserves to know about Donald Trump, his finances and his campaign. They even told congressional investigators precisely where to find the evidence they need to prove Trump's crimes:
We suggested investigators look into the bank records of Deutsche Bank and others that were funding Mr. Trump’s businesses. Congress appears uninterested in that tip: Reportedly, ours are the only bank records the House Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed.
We told Congress that from Manhattan to Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., and from Toronto to Panama, we found widespread evidence that Mr. Trump and his organization had worked with a wide array of dubious Russians in arrangements that often raised questions about money laundering. Likewise, those deals don’t seem to interest Congress.
We explained how, from our past journalistic work in Europe, we were deeply familiar with the political operative Paul Manafort’s coziness with Moscow and his financial ties to Russian oligarchs close to Vladimir Putin.
This has always been about a massive, worldwide money laundering operation. The collusion was a side hustle from players (Donald Trump, Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort) who were a little too cozy with Russian actors, just dumb enough to fall into the carefully laid traps.
But, money laundering aside, Simpson and Fritsch say Christopher Steele’s work revealed information proving collusion, information that was so shocking, Steele went directly to the FBI because he believed serious crimes were taking place during the campaign.
What came back shocked us. Mr. Steele’s sources in Russia (who were not paid) reported on an extensive — and now confirmed — effort by the Kremlin to help elect Mr. Trump president. Mr. Steele saw this as a crime in progress and decided he needed to report it to the F.B.I.
In the end, Simpson and Fritsch say it is time for Republicans to stop acting as a blockade and release the full findings so the American people can learn the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
It is time to stop chasing rabbits. The public still has much to learn about a man with the most troubling business past of any United States president. Congress should release transcripts of our firm’s testimony, so that the American people can learn the truth about our work and most important, what happened to our democracy.
It is time to amp up the pressure on Republicans to do the right thing. Take a minute to call your elected representatives today and tell them to release the testimony. Truth, justice and the American way—we deserve to know the truth.