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applegrove

(118,842 posts) Fri Oct 27, 2017, 07:28 PM Oct 2017

Washington Free Beacon, a Conservative Website, First Funded Trump Dossier Research

https://www.thedailybeast.com/free-beacon-first-funded-trump-dossier-research

"SNIP............

The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative website funded in large part by New York hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer, initially retained the firm Fusion GPS that conducted opposition research on Donald Trump and a number of other Republican candidates. The website reportedly told the firm to stop doing research on Trump in May of 2016 as he was close to clinching the Republican nomination. In April of 2016, according to the New York Times, Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee retained Fusion GPS and the company enlisted the services of a former British spy named Christopher Steele who produced the infamous Steele dossier. After the Washington Examiner first reported the discovery on Friday evening, the Free Beacon confirmed its accuracy in a post on its own site.

..............SNIP"

7 replies

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Highlight:

Washington Free Beacon, a Conservative Website, First Funded Trump Dossier Research (Original Post) applegrove Oct 2017 OP

So it wasn't Jeb or another Republican? B2G Oct 2017 #1

Paul Singer was one of Marco Rubio's wealthy political patrons DemocratSinceBirth Oct 2017 #3

seems everyone has dirty hands Angry Dragon Oct 2017 #2

I've been intrigued canetoad Oct 2017 #4

The Washington Beacon and Singer did not fund it. B2G Oct 2017 #5

Curiouser and curiouser. applegrove Oct 2017 #6

Now. Who's the never-disclosed owner?!1 UTUSN Oct 2017 #7

B2G

(9,766 posts)

1. So it wasn't Jeb or another Republican?

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Fri Oct 27, 2017, 07:35 PM

Oct 2017

Well I didn't see that coming.

DemocratSinceBirth

(99,716 posts)

3. Paul Singer was one of Marco Rubio's wealthy political patrons

Reply to B2G (Reply #1)

Fri Oct 27, 2017, 07:38 PM

Oct 2017

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/31/us/politics/paul-singer-influential-billionaire-throws-support-to-marco-rubio-for-president.html

Could be he wanted to dirty up Trump without getting Marco Rubio's fingerprints on it.

Angry Dragon

(36,693 posts)

2. seems everyone has dirty hands

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Fri Oct 27, 2017, 07:35 PM

Oct 2017

canetoad

(17,197 posts)

4. I've been intrigued

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Fri Oct 27, 2017, 07:55 PM

Oct 2017

By who might have originally funded the dossier. Best clue was in the excellent Vanity Fare article:

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/03/how-the-explosive-russian-dossier-was-compiled-christopher-steele

In 2011, Glenn Simpson, along with two other former Journal reporters, launched Fusion GPS, in Washington, D.C. The firm’s activities, according to the terse, purposefully oblique statement on its Web site, centered on “premium research, strategic intelligence, and due diligence.”

In September 2015, as the Republican primary campaign was heating up, he was hired to compile an opposition-research dossier on Donald Trump. Who wrote the check? Simpson, always secretive, won’t reveal his client’s identity. However, according to a friend who had spoken with Simpson at the time, the funding came from a “Never Trump” Republican and not directly from the campaign war chests of any of Trump’s primary opponents.

I've been poring over the lists on this Wikipedia page, sure that the name would be found somewhere on it. Sure enough, Paul Singer is listed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Republicans_who_opposed_the_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign,_2016