COMEY CONTINUES TO FALSELY CLAIM THAT REPUBLICANS STARTED STEELE DOSSIER
Who paid for it? During the Republican primaries, a research firm called Fusion GPS was hired by The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative website, to unearth potentially damaging information about Mr. Trump. The Free Beacon — which was funded by a major donor supporting Mr. Trump’s rival for the party’s nomination, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida — told Fusion GPS to stop doing research on Mr. Trump in May 2016, as Mr. Trump was clinching the Republican nomination.After Mr. Trump secured the nomination, Fusion GPS was hired on behalf of Mrs. Clinton’s campaign and the D.N.C. by their law firm, Perkins Coie, to compile research about Mr. Trump, his businesses and associates — including possible connections with Russia. It was at that point that Fusion GPS hired Mr. Steele, who has deep sourcing in Russia, to gather information.
The Washington Free Beacon (Bill Kristol, Paul Singer) first funded Fusion GPS oppo research on Trump and other GOP candidates.
Fusion passed on rumors about Trump from before he was a candidate. The rumors had been catalogued by Glenn Simpson for the Wall Street Journal before Fusion GPS was established. Steele was just a cover story.