CNN’s Undisclosed Ties To Fusion GPS

[DKW 86 8,212]

CNN’s Undisclosed Ties To Fusion GPS

 

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CNN’s reporting on the dossier, led by justice correspondent Evan Perez, has been favorable to the firm, Fusion GPS, and hyped the dossier’s credibility. Left out of Perez’s reporting, which has relied largely on unnamed sources, is his personal closeness to Fusion GPS’ operatives. Fusion has repeatedly been described in Senate testimonies as a smear-for-hire operation that manufactures misleading or false media narratives for its clients.

Glenn Simpson, the Fusion co-founder most often associated with the dossier, is used to working on stories with Perez. As reporters at The Wall Street Journal, Perez and Simpson regularly co-authored stories on national security.

Another Fusion founder, Tom Catan, worked as a reporter for the Journal at the same time as Perez and Simpson. The third Fusion co-founder, Peter Fritsch, worked above Perez and Simpson as the senior national security editor.

...

 

Fusion GPS, currently at the center of the Russia investigation, has a reputation for working misinformation into the media for political clients.

Thor Halvorssen, founder of the Human Rights Foundation, described Fusion GPS as “highly paid smear experts” in written testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. He says that the firm went after him several years ago because he criticized a corrupt Venezuelan company Derwick Associates that counted Fusion as a client. 

Alek Boyd, a former associate of Halvorssen’s, says he was also targeted in a similar smear campaign because he drew attention to Derwick’s alleged financial misdeeds. He said he also faced false allegations of being a pedophile, sexual deviant and drug addict.

“Fusion is basically a pen-for-hire shop, whose owners are prepared to concoct completely spurious stories that are fed to media contacts developed over years of legitimate work in reputable outlets,” Boyd told TheDC.

Bill Browder, a renowned human rights activist and top Putin enemy, offered similar testimony before the committee.

Browder described how Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, the same attorney that met with Donald Trump Jr. last year, used Fusion GPS to conduct a smear campaign against him.

“Veselnitskaya, through Baker Hostetler, hired Glenn Simpson of the firm Fusion GPS to conduct a smear campaign against me and Sergei Magnitsky in advance of congressional hearings on the Global Magnitsky Act,” Browder stated in his written testimony.

“He contacted a number of major newspapers and other publications to spread false information that Sergei Magnitsky was not murdered, was not a whistle-blower, and was instead a criminal. They also spread false information that my presentations to lawmakers around the world were untrue,” Browder said.

Browder’s testimony drew bipartisan praise, with California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, praising Browder’s account as “some of the best testimony I’ve ever heard.”

CNN has faced scrutiny in the past for its reporting on the Russia probe. Two prominent CNN reporters and an editor were forced to leave the network after repeated mistakes in covering the Russia probe, including one report that CNN retracted entirely. (

 

 

 

 

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

Good article David. Thanks. Shows the ineptness and bias of CNN.

 

[TexasTiger 15,953]

3 hours ago, DKW 86 said:

CNN’s Undisclosed Ties To Fusion GPS

 

 

 

Trump and Fox are a two-headed beast these days and you're routinely  falling for every  head fake to delegitimize Mueller's investigation. You might as well buy a MAGA hat.

[Grumps 3,706]

1 hour ago, TexasTiger said:

Trump and Fox are a two-headed beast these days and you're routinely  falling for every  head fake to delegitimize Mueller's investigation. You might as well buy a MAGA hat.

I'm just curious, why do you think that DKW "fell" for this head fake? It seems like all he has done here is to expose the head fake. I haven't noticed where DKW has come across as a Trump fan. Who would wear a red hat?????????

[TexasTiger 15,953]

46 minutes ago, Grumps said:

I'm just curious, why do you think that DKW "fell" for this head fake? It seems like all he has done here is to expose the head fake. I haven't noticed where DKW has come across as a Trump fan. Who would wear a red hat?????????

Because I can read.

[DKW 86 8,212]

3 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

Because I can read.

We know. It's that comprehension thing you have sssooo much trouble with.

This is a straight forward article about how the reporters for CNN are way too close to F-GPS. They are giving way too much benefit of the doubt to a company that is very apparently playing both sides against themselves. 

Quote

 

Thor Halvorssen, founder of the Human Rights Foundation, described Fusion GPS as “highly paid smear experts” in written testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. He says that the firm went after him several years ago because he criticized a corrupt Venezuelan company Derwick Associates that counted Fusion as a client. 

Alek Boyd, a former associate of Halvorssen’s, says he was also targeted in a similar smear campaign because he drew attention to Derwick’s alleged financial misdeeds. He said he also faced false allegations of being a pedophile, sexual deviant and drug addict.

 

Quote

 

“Veselnitskaya, through Baker Hostetler, hired Glenn Simpson of the firm Fusion GPS to conduct a smear campaign against me and Sergei Magnitsky in advance of congressional hearings on the Global Magnitsky Act,” Browder stated in his written testimony.

“He contacted a number of major newspapers and other publications to spread false information that Sergei Magnitsky was not murdered, was not a whistle-blower, and was instead a criminal. They also spread false information that my presentations to lawmakers around the world were untrue,” Browder said.

 

Then Add-In the Golden Showers Dossier and all you have is a Pay-For-Say Smear Machine.

[DKW 86 8,212]

Folks, the scary part, THE SCARIEST PART IN ALL THIS IS THIS: 

Fusion-GPS Founders didn't work for TMZ, The National Enquirer, WND, etc

 Fusion-GPS Founders didn't work for CNN, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, NYT, or even Fox.

They worked for the Wall Street Journal prior to setting this company up.

These bastiches worked for one of the best 2 papers the Nation, Wapo and the WSJ. If these muckrakers worked for the very creme of the crop in media. Imagine what the real inside story at some other organizations must look like. These were part of the good guys.

[TexasTiger 15,953]

"

So, more than a year after the production of the original raw reports, where do we stand?

I think it is fair to say that the report is not “garbage” as several commentators claimed.  The Orbis sources certainly got some things right – details that they could not have known prior.  Steele and his company appear serious and credible.  Of course, the failure of the Trump team to report details that later leaked out and fit the narrative may make the Steele allegations appear more prescient than they otherwise might.  At the same time, the hesitancy to be honest about contacts with Russia is consistent with allegations of a conspiracy.

All that said, one large portion of the dossier is crystal clear, certain, consistent and corroborated.  Russia’s goal all along has been to do damage to America and our leadership role in the world.  Also, the methods described in the report fit the Russians to a tee.  If the remainder of the report is largely true, Russia has a powerful weapon to help achieve its goal.  Even if it is largely false, the Kremlin still benefits from the confusion, uncertainty and political churn created by the resulting fallout.  In any regard, the Administration could help cauterize the damage by being honest, transparent and assisting those looking into the matter.  Sadly, the President has done the opposite, ensuring a Russian win no matter what.  In any event, I would suspect the Russians will look to muddy the waters and spread false and misleading information to confuse investigators and public officials."

https://www.justsecurity.org/44697/steele-dossier-knowing/

[DKW 86 8,212]

Quote

" Steele and his company appear serious and credible. "

UUUUHHHHH, No. They have never seemed credible in the least. The timeline and travelling issues are FACTS that have been destroyed by passport stamps alone. 

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"Even if it is largely false, the Kremlin still benefits from the confusion, uncertainty and political churn created by the resulting fallout.  In any regard, the Administration could help cauterize the damage by being honest, transparent and assisting those looking into the matter.  Sadly, the President has done the opposite, ensuring a Russian win no matter what.  In any event, I would suspect the Russians will look to muddy the waters and spread false and misleading information to confuse investigators and public officials."

The only reason we are talking about a BS dossier is because of the butthurt from the election. This is & was a wholly unverifiable mess, that no credible, even grossly Over Friendly to the Dems and HRC Organization, would touch. As for for being misleading: TOUCHE'. But if this crap had been stated about the HRC you would have gotten no more clarity than they would have been forced to give. After 15 months, no law enforcement agency has yet seen either email server to verify anything. Unfortunately muddying the waters is now 24-7-365 SOP in DC for both parties.

[TexasTiger 15,953]

1 hour ago, DKW 86 said:

UUUUHHHHH, No. They have never seemed credible in the least. The timeline and travelling issues are FACTS that have been destroyed by passport stamps alone. 

The only reason we are talking about a BS dossier is because of the butthurt from the election. This is & was a wholly unverifiable mess, that no credible, even grossly Over Friendly to the Dems and HRC Organization, would touch. As for for being misleading: TOUCHE'. But if this crap had been stated about the HRC you would have gotten no more clarity than they would have been forced to give. After 15 months, no law enforcement agency has yet seen either email server to verify anything. Unfortunately muddying the waters is now 24-7-365 SOP in DC for both parties.

You sound like Trump. People in a position to know say Steele was a very credible person respected in his field. Doesn't mean he batted 1000% on intelligence gathered. No one does-- nature of the field. The "dossier" was raw data, not an finished dossier.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/12/intelligence-sources-vouch-credibility-donald-trump-russia-dossier-author

[DKW 86 8,212]

AAANNNDDD like i said has proven to be flat out wrong on items as simple as Passport Stamps. Steele like the entore F-GPS Team has sold out credibility for Very Big $$$. That seems as obvious as can be in retrospect.

[TexasTiger 15,953]

8 minutes ago, DKW 86 said:

AAANNNDDD like i said has proven to be flat out wrong on items as simple as Passport Stamps. Steele like the entore F-GPS Team has sold out credibility for Very Big $$$. That seems as obvious as can be in retrospect.

Knowledgeable people disagree. You and the MAGA hat crowd believe this.

[Grumps 3,706]

19 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

Because I can read.

Thanks for the clarification!

[DKW 86 8,212]

4 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

Knowledgeable people disagree. You and the MAGA hat crowd believe this.

Tex, no one believes this dossier was anything but crap. 

From WA-Po: Hillary Clinton’s disingenuous dossier outrage

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When BuzzFeed published that now-infamous dossier of unproven claims about Donald Trump and Russia, in January, former Hillary Clinton campaign aides expressed outrage that news outlets that had obtained the dossier before Election Day did not make its contents public in time to influence voters, and Clinton later aired the same grievance in her book about the presidential race.

It turns out that the reaction of the Democratic presidential nominee and her team was disingenuous. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday night that the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee helped fund the dossier, compiled by a former British intelligence officer, through a law firm hired to conduct opposition research.

The Clinton camp left out its own role in the dossier's creation, as it ripped the media for sitting on information that journalists had been unable to verify. What Clinton and her advisers presented as their judgment that the media had made the wrong call was, in fact, their frustration at having failed to plant negative news reports before ballots were cast.

 

[TexasTiger 15,953]

27 minutes ago, DKW 86 said:

Tex, no one believes this dossier was anything but crap. 

From WA-Po: Hillary Clinton’s disingenuous dossier outrage

And you still believe there's no evidence of collusion?

Nick Confessore

@nickconfessore

 

 

Unless I'm mistaken, virtually none of the Papadopolous details are previously reported. Mueller knows a lot that the public + press do not.

10:03 AM · Oct 30, 2017

[DKW 86 8,212]

What does Papadopolous have to do with Election Collusion? Email Hacking? 

All for the FBI jailing bad guys, and these folks are money laundering jerks. But what has this proved about Election Hacking so far?

 

[TexasTiger 15,953]

3 minutes ago, DKW 86 said:

What does Papadopolous have to do with Election Collusion? Email Hacking? 

All for the FBI jailing bad guys, and these folks are money laundering jerks. But what has this proved about Election Hacking so far?

 

Just sit there with your tin foil lined MAGA hat. I'm done.

[DKW 86 8,212]

26 minutes ago, TexasTiger said:

Just sit there with your tin foil lined MAGA hat. I'm done.

My work here is done...

[AUFAN78 4,258]

12 hours ago, DKW 86 said:

The only reason we are talking about a BS dossier is because of the butthurt from the election.

Nailed that. Truth hurts. 

[AUFAN78 4,258]

11 hours ago, TexasTiger said:

Knowledgeable  Partisan people disagree. You and the MAGA hat crowd believe this.

Fixed that for you. 

[AUFAN78 4,258]

12 minutes ago, DKW 86 said:

My work here is done...

And well done. 

[TexasTiger 15,953]

44 minutes ago, AUFAN78 said:

I'm a moronic cult member.

Returned the favor.

[AUFAN78 4,258]

8 minutes ago, TexasTiger said:

Returned the favor.

Still butthurt I see.  No worries Tex, you wear it well.