Work Fusion GPS

1 work

1.1 opposition research on mitt romney
1.2 planned parenthood
1.3 prevezon holding
1.4 trump dossier , christopher steele

1.4.1 house intelligence committee investigation

work
opposition research on mitt romney

fusion gps hired democrats in 2012 opposition research on u.s. presidential candidate mitt romney. in february 2012, magazine mother jones published article on frank vandersloot , company melaleuca, combined had given $1 million superpac supporting mitt romney. after article published, intern @ fusion gps did search of idaho court records on vandersloot phone , fax. in january 2013, vandersloot sued mother jones defamation in february 2012 article. in course of litigation, vandersloot deposed fusion gps founder simpson on theory mother jones conspired obama’s team defame vandersloot . seventh judicial district court of state of idaho dismissed lawsuit in 2015.

planned parenthood

in august 2015, planned parenthood retained fusion gps defensively investigate veracity of series of undercover videos released anti-abortion activists david daleiden , sandra merritt center medical progress claim showed planned parenthood officials agreeing sell fetal tissues obtained through abortions medical researchers. fusion gps hired video , transcription experts analyze videos , summarized findings in forensic report. report claimed unedited videos posted activists had been heavily edited . anti-abortion activists attributed gaps bathroom breaks , waiting periods. report provided u.s. congressional leadership evidence considering funding , other issues related planned parenthood operations.

after grand jury declined indict planned parenthood of wrongdoing, on march 28, 2017, daleiden , merritt charged 15 felonies in state of california - 1 each of people whom had filmed without consent, , 1 criminal conspiracy invade privacy. on 21 june 2017, fourteen of these charges dismissed, leave amend, on grounds legally insufficient. on june 30, 2017, state prosecutors refiled 14 dismissed charges numerical identifications each video. on august 24, 2017, san francisco superior court rejected new defense motions dismiss charges , allowed case proceed. daleiden pleaded not guilty, while merritt did not enter plea @ time.

prevezon holding

in 2013, department of justice, represented attorney southern district of new york, preet bharara, sued prevezon holding, republic of cyprus corporation registered in new york state foreign business corporation, under magnitsky act money-laundering. lawsuit sought forfeiture of various assets , real estate holdings in us. in may 2017, 2 months after president trump had dismissed bharara, lawsuit settled $6 million, without prevezon admitting wrongdoing , both sides claiming victory.

the sole shareholder of prevezon russian citizen denis katsyv, father petr katsyv, vice president of russia s state-run rail monopoly , reportedly business associate of vladimir yakunin, confidant of vladimir putin . katsyv’s russian lawyer natalia veselnitskaya not licensed practice in us, , katsyv hired law firm of bakerhostetler represent prevezon; bakerhostetler hired fusion gps in 2014 provide research litigation.

on october 18, 2016, appellate court disqualified bakerhostetler case because had represented bill browder’s hedge fund hermitage capital management 9 months in 2008/2009 when u.s. justice department investigating tax fraud scheme in russia involving co-opted hermitage portfolio companies . u.s. justice department had argued hermitage capital victim of tax fraud , bakerhofstetler’s prior work on behalf of hermitage capital created conflict of interest. part of litigation support bakerhostetler , client verezon, fusion gps investigated browder, witness central u.s. justice department s case.

on july 27, 2017, fusion gps accused white house of trying smear investigating president s alleged ties russia. white house press secretary sarah huckabee sanders pointed browder s testimony vindication of trump s claims ongoing investigations potential ties between campaign , moscow political ploys undermine presidency. fusion gps countered worked law firm in new york provide support civil litigation unrelated russian efforts away magnitsky act, saying had no reason register under foreign agents registration act (fara).

browder lodged complaint u.s. justice department in 2016 fusion gps may have lobbied russian interests in campaign oppose pending global magnitsky act [and] failed register under [u.s. law] . global magnitsky act (not confused magnitsky act) human rights law passed in 2016 , named after sergei magnitsky, lawyer , auditor working browder died in russian prison after uncovering corruption scheme charged having helped concoct.

on march 30, 2017, senate judiciary chairman chuck grassley, r-iowa called u.s. department of justice investigation purported connections between fusion gps , russia, , inquiry whether fusion gps acting unregistered foreign agent. company denied claims engaged in lobbying or had violated foreign agents registration act.according washington post s fact checker column, there no evidence russian government paid fusion’s work on prevezon defense @ same time fusion investigated trump’s business dealings in russia. according washington post s fact checker column, there no evidence russian government paid fusion’s work on prevezon defense @ same time fusion investigated trump’s business dealings in russia.

trump dossier , christopher steele

in september 2015, fusion gps hired washington free beacon, conservative political website, opposition research on trump , other republican presidential candidates. in spring 2016 when trump had emerged probable republican candidate, free beacon stopped funding investigation trump. april 2016 through october 2016, law firm perkins coie, on behalf of clinton campaign , democratic national committee retained fusion gps continue opposition research on trump. in june 2016, fusion gps retained christopher steele, private british corporate intelligence investigator , former mi-6 agent, research russian connections trump. steele produced 35-page series of memos june december 2016, became document known donald trump–russia dossier. fusion gps provided marc elias, lead election lawyer perkins coie, resulting dossier , other research documents.

house intelligence committee investigation

on october 4, 2017, chairman nunes of house intelligence committee issued subpoenas management of company, demanding documents , testimony in late october , november 2017. according democratic committee source, subpoenas issued unilaterally republican majority of committee.

on october 18, 2017, house intelligence committee held private meeting 2 executives of fusion gps, peter fritsch , thomas catan. purpose seek information creation of opposition-research dossier makes salacious claims president donald trump’s ties russia. meeting attended committee staff , single committee member, representative tom rooney (r-fl). in response questions asked @ meeting, fritsch , catan invoked fifth amendment rights against self-incrimination. attorney, joshua levy, said prior meeting had informed committee in writing clients invoke rights, compelled appear nevertheless. added cooperate serious investigations trump cabal has carried out campaign demonize our client having been tied trump dossier.

on october 23, 2017, fusion gps filed court injunction against nunes subpoena seeking firm s bank records period of more 2 years, arguing damage , possibly destroy business violate first amendment rights.

on october 28, 2017, washington free beacon, conservative political website, told house intelligence committee had retained fusion gps s services 2015 may 2016, research donald trump , other republican presidential candidates. objective discovery of damaging information. free beacon , primary source of funding, hedge fund manager paul singer, denied involvement in creation of steele dossier, pointing out had stopped funding research on trump before steele engaged.