The heads of Fusion GPS, the political research firm responsible for the now infamous “Steele Dossier,” have called on Republicans to release their congressional testimony to the public. In a strongly-worded op-ed in The New York Times, Glenn R. Simpson and Peter Fritsch, called on Republicans to stop “chasing rabbits” and let the American people see the results of their research into the Russia issue themselves.
Simpson and Fritsch sought to set the record straight on many issues surrounding the dossier, such as the origins of their work into Trump-Russia relations, as well as the fact that they did not know anything about the June 9, 2016, meeting between Russians and top Trump campaign staffers in Trump Tower.
They believe the dossier has been taken so seriously because it corroborated reports the FBI had received from other sources, including, notably, someone inside the Trump campaign. After the election, Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence officer hired by Fusion GPS to conduct the research, and the person the dossier has come to be named after, decided to share his findings with Senator John McCain. Simpson and Fritsch helped him do that. They did not however, they allege, share any of their findings with the news outlet BuzzFeed, which they say, made the dossier public to their dismay.
Glenn R. Simpson and Peter Fritsch are former journalists, who worked for, among other outlets, The Wall Street Journal.