https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate...firm-behind-trump-dossier-1500682608?mod=e2tw
WASHINGTON—The Senate Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena on Friday to compel the founder of a firm that compiled a dossier of unverified research about President Donald Trump to testify in front of Congress.
Attorneys for Glenn Simpson, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who now runs a political intelligence firm in Washington called Fusion GPS, told the committee in a Friday letter that their client was traveling and unavailable for next week’s hearing. The letter also said they were prepared to fight a subpoena and invoke Mr. Simpson’s constitutional right not to give testimony if compelled to appear.
Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and the committee’s top Democrat, Dianne Feinstein, in a joint statement said: “Glenn Simpson, through his attorney, has declined to voluntarily attend Wednesday’s Judiciary Committee hearing regarding compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Therefore, a subpoena has been issued to compel his attendance. Simpson’s attorney has asserted that his client will invoke his Fifth Amendment rights in response to the subpoena.”
The letter explaining Mr. Simpson’s refusal to appear cites his obligations to keep his client information confidential and his First Amendment right under the Constitution to engage in political speech and political activity. The Fifth Amendment allows witnesses to refuse to give testimony on matters that could incriminate them.
Mr. Grassley and Ms. Feinstein said they would compel witnesses to appear at a hearing scheduled for July 26 on the topic of foreign influence peddling if they refuse to appear voluntarily.
In addition to Mr. Simpson, the committee has summoned Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s campaign chairman for several months in 2016, and Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, to next week’s hearing, along with Russia sanctions activist and businessman Bill Browder. The Judiciary Committee said Messrs. Trump Jr. and Manafort are providing documents to the committee and are still negotiating the terms of their testimonies.
Congressional subpoenas are mandatory summonses to appear before Congress, but the legislature has had difficulty enforcing them in the past. Congress typically needs either assistance from a federal court or the Justice Department to help compel a witness who defies a congressional subpoena. A procedure allowing congressional law-enforcement officials to take a witness into custody hasn’t been used in decades.
Mr. Simpson’s testimony is of interest to investigators because of his firm’s work with former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. Fusion GPS hired Mr. Steele to conduct opposition research on Mr. Trump, resulting in a 35-page dossier that was widely shared in political and media circles during and after the 2016 election. Intelligence agencies made the existence of the dossier known to Mr. Trump in a January meeting. The dossier contains unverified information mostly about Mr. Trump’s activities and engagement with Russians.
In addition to the dossier compiled on Mr. Trump, Mr. Grassley has alleged that Mr. Simpson’s firm has worked with a Russian-American lobbyist on a campaign against a package of Russian sanctions that was being considered by Congress. That lobbyist was present in a meeting in Trump Tower in June 2016 with the younger Mr. Trump.
Mr. Grassley has raised questions about whether Mr. Simpson’s firm should have registered as a foreign agent for its work on the Russia sanctions. Mr. Simpson’s attorney called those questions and allegations “nothing more than an effort to smear him and his firm.”
Questioning of the younger Mr. Trump and Mr. Manafort is expected to focus in part on an email chain discovered this month that showed the younger Mr. Trump helped arrange a Trump Tower meeting with a group of Russian advocates after being promised allegedly damaging information about former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, which he was told was provided by the Kremlin. The meeting was also attended by Messrs. Kushner and Manafort.
The gathering has come to the attention of special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election and the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow. Russia has denied it interfered in the election, and Mr. Trump has said he and his campaign didn’t engage in collusion.
A Russian attorney, Natalia Veselnitskaya, who also attended the meeting, has said she used the gathering to advocate against sanctions on Russia.
The president’s son has said the meeting didn’t result in any significant exchange of information or action.
Messrs. Kushner and Manafort have said they are cooperating with the investigation.
WASHINGTON—The Senate Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena on Friday to compel the founder of a firm that compiled a dossier of unverified research about President Donald Trump to testify in front of Congress.
Attorneys for Glenn Simpson, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who now runs a political intelligence firm in Washington called Fusion GPS, told the committee in a Friday letter that their client was traveling and unavailable for next week’s hearing. The letter also said they were prepared to fight a subpoena and invoke Mr. Simpson’s constitutional right not to give testimony if compelled to appear.
Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and the committee’s top Democrat, Dianne Feinstein, in a joint statement said: “Glenn Simpson, through his attorney, has declined to voluntarily attend Wednesday’s Judiciary Committee hearing regarding compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Therefore, a subpoena has been issued to compel his attendance. Simpson’s attorney has asserted that his client will invoke his Fifth Amendment rights in response to the subpoena.”
The letter explaining Mr. Simpson’s refusal to appear cites his obligations to keep his client information confidential and his First Amendment right under the Constitution to engage in political speech and political activity. The Fifth Amendment allows witnesses to refuse to give testimony on matters that could incriminate them.
Mr. Grassley and Ms. Feinstein said they would compel witnesses to appear at a hearing scheduled for July 26 on the topic of foreign influence peddling if they refuse to appear voluntarily.
In addition to Mr. Simpson, the committee has summoned Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s campaign chairman for several months in 2016, and Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, to next week’s hearing, along with Russia sanctions activist and businessman Bill Browder. The Judiciary Committee said Messrs. Trump Jr. and Manafort are providing documents to the committee and are still negotiating the terms of their testimonies.
Congressional subpoenas are mandatory summonses to appear before Congress, but the legislature has had difficulty enforcing them in the past. Congress typically needs either assistance from a federal court or the Justice Department to help compel a witness who defies a congressional subpoena. A procedure allowing congressional law-enforcement officials to take a witness into custody hasn’t been used in decades.
Mr. Simpson’s testimony is of interest to investigators because of his firm’s work with former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. Fusion GPS hired Mr. Steele to conduct opposition research on Mr. Trump, resulting in a 35-page dossier that was widely shared in political and media circles during and after the 2016 election. Intelligence agencies made the existence of the dossier known to Mr. Trump in a January meeting. The dossier contains unverified information mostly about Mr. Trump’s activities and engagement with Russians.
In addition to the dossier compiled on Mr. Trump, Mr. Grassley has alleged that Mr. Simpson’s firm has worked with a Russian-American lobbyist on a campaign against a package of Russian sanctions that was being considered by Congress. That lobbyist was present in a meeting in Trump Tower in June 2016 with the younger Mr. Trump.
Mr. Grassley has raised questions about whether Mr. Simpson’s firm should have registered as a foreign agent for its work on the Russia sanctions. Mr. Simpson’s attorney called those questions and allegations “nothing more than an effort to smear him and his firm.”
Questioning of the younger Mr. Trump and Mr. Manafort is expected to focus in part on an email chain discovered this month that showed the younger Mr. Trump helped arrange a Trump Tower meeting with a group of Russian advocates after being promised allegedly damaging information about former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, which he was told was provided by the Kremlin. The meeting was also attended by Messrs. Kushner and Manafort.
The gathering has come to the attention of special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election and the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow. Russia has denied it interfered in the election, and Mr. Trump has said he and his campaign didn’t engage in collusion.
A Russian attorney, Natalia Veselnitskaya, who also attended the meeting, has said she used the gathering to advocate against sanctions on Russia.
The president’s son has said the meeting didn’t result in any significant exchange of information or action.
Messrs. Kushner and Manafort have said they are cooperating with the investigation.
