Senator Dianne Feinstein Releases Fusion GPS Testimony

California Senator Dianne Feinstein has released the full transcript from Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson.

Simpson recently testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election. Feinstein released a statement shortly after releasing the transcript.

"After speaking with majority and minority committee staff for 10 hours, Glenn Simpson requested the transcript of his interview be released publicly. The American people deserve the opportunity to see what he said and judge for themselves. The innuendo and misinformation circulating about the transcript are part of a deeply troubling effort to undermine the investigation into potential collusion and obstruction of justice. The only way to set the record straight is to make the transcript public."

Simpson's testimony touched on a range of topics, including President Trump's business ties as well as the president's tax history. A word search of the document shows Trump's name as appearing 171 times in the transcript. "Putin" appears 19 times. 

Some of the highlights in the transcript include: 

• Simpson says they believed a "human source from inside the Trump organization" had already gone to FBI: "A voluntary source, someone who was concerned with the same concerns we had." 
• The intelligence community believes Trump is being blackmailed because they believe "Russians having cameras in all the luxury hotel rooms" 
• Simpson touches on how the Trump Organization pays taxes: "One of the things we found out was that, you know, when it comes to paying taxes, Donald Trump claims to not have much stuff. At least the Trump organization. So they would make filings with various state and local authorities saying that their buildings weren't worth much."
• Simpson also discussed Trump's relationship with Felix Sater: "This was something he didn't want to talk about and testified under oath he wouldn't know Felix if he ran into him in the street. That was not true. He knew him well and, in fact, continued to associate with him long after he learned of Felix's organized crime ties. So, you know, that tells you something about somebody."
• Simpson says he had no "factual reason to believe" the Trump Tower meeting was an attempt by Russia to make contact with the Trump campaign. However, Simpson notes, "You know, as a sort of question of counterintelligence and just general investigation of Russian methods and that sort of thing, I think that's a reasonable interpretation."
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The transcript's release came with the approval of Feinstein's fellow Democrats on the committee. The move followed Republicans Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham to issued a criminal complaint against Christopher Steele, a former British spy who is thought to have authored the "Trump dossier." 

You can read the full transcript of Simpon's testimony here.

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