Two Republican House Intel staffers flew to London to track down Christopher Steele

[L. Coyote]

Hunt for Trump dossier author inflames Russia probe
An overseas trip to contact a former British spy exposes friction among House, Senate investigators and special counsel Robert Mueller.
By ALI WATKINS - 08/04/2017

Two Republican House Intelligence Committee staffers traveled to London earlier this summer to track down the former British intelligence operative who compiled a controversial dossier on President Donald Trump and Russia, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The previously unreported trip underscores the importance of the 35-page dossier Christopher Steele wrote last year to Congressional probes into possible collusion between Moscow and the 2016 Trump campaign.

It has also inflamed simmering tensions between House and Senate investigators as they pursue parallel probes into the Trump-Russia connection. House Intelligence Committee Republicans did not tell Democrats on the House panel, the Senate Intelligence Committee nor special counsel Robert Mueller’s office that the investigators were pursuing Steele.

The House staffers left their contact information at two addresses associated with Steele, a former agent for Britain’s MI6 foreign intelligence service. One of those locations was Steele’s lawyer’s office, where the former spy was meeting with his counsel when the House investigators showed up.

Senate officials—whom NBC News has reported were negotiating their own interview with Steele—fear the aggressive move could spook Steele and derail his potential cooperation ................

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[FarPoint]

1. Steele is no dummy.....

Intelligence...his specialty..... Mueller probably tagged him first... or maybe Comey.

[MagickMuffin]

2. Why is everything the republicons do always in secret???

What else are they hiding???

[SharonClark]

6. Not only secret but conspiring to create false memes about Democrats.

I only hope the Dems on the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees stop being polite and judicious and start raising hell. Feinstein needs to ream that partisan hack Grassley and call him out for who he is.

[FM123]

3. Was this before or after

Grassley pulled the bait and switch with Manafort & Don Jr to supoena Glenn Simpson from Fusion? Simpson is saying that Hillary & the Dems are behind the "fake" dossier and that she is the "real" Russian scandal.

[awesomerwb1]

5. Fuck Grassley

Have not looked into what you just said, but it pissed me off how sooo many on here kept referring to the expression on Feinstein's and Grassley's face during the very short press address as something that meant how troubled they were by what they'd just heard. That mofo is pro-Trump agenda-party over country until the end.

[FM123]

8. Yep. Grassley is a snake, not to be trusted.

[OnDoutside]

11. Agreed. I find it amazing he is getting such a free ride in the media.

[L. Coyote]

7. Republican propaganda trolls are saying that he is saying that, but he hasn't said that.

Last edited Fri Aug 4, 2017, 11:26 AM - Edit history (1)

“What is clear is that the president and his allies are desperately trying to smear Fusion GPS because it investigated Donald Trump's ties to Russia,” Tracy Schmaler, a representative for Fusion GPS, said in a statement.

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[FM123]

9. Yes, there was a lot of speculation from the right, and left, that Simpson was going to

throw Hillary under the bus. I am not thrilled with Grassley deciding to waive the subpoena and excuse Simpson from testifying at the public hearing, and just letting him do a interview through his lawyers. My concern is mostly about Grassley who I am unconvinced shares the same desire and commitment to uncovering the truth that Feinstein does.

[Me.]

10. How Can Simpson Say What Steele Will Dispute

In fact, hasn't he already said it was the Cons? Bush specifically?

[FM123]

16. I think the assumption is that because Simpson is an "unregistered foreign agent" of Russia

and trying to undermine the Magnitsky act (according to Bill Browder) he will try to point fingers at Hillary and the Dems.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2017/07/25/judiciary-committee-to-turn-the-russia-investigation-back-on-fusion-gps/?utm_term=.c5230b923d8c

[Me.]

17. Good Clarification

Because it becomes important to give his bona fides when he is spreading dis-info

[lunasun]

4. Our tax $$ people if this is true

[.99center]

12. "The House staffers left their contact information at two addresses associated with Steele"

Yeah, they traveled all the way to London to leave their contact information. I wonder what they offered Steele?

First Nunes, now this? How many times are Republicans going to interfere with the investigation before Democrats demand an independent commission?

[Raster]

13. Let us NOT forget that Devin Nunes, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee....

...had his little freak out session at the White House, when, I believe HE WAS ONE OF THE PERSONS UNMASKED in the FISA surveillance warrants, and possibly was caught red-handed communicating with the Russians himself. The Rethuglicans are desperately trying to prove that the Steele dossier is fiction and that any investigations originating from the dossier should be treated as "fruit from the poisonous tree."

[.99center]

14. Which republican ordered their staff to intimidate a witness?

[bucolic_frolic]

15. Meddling plain and simple

[Gabi Hayes]

18. So stelter tweets....any CNN coverage?

Listening to MSNBC on delay: no mentions there

Anything?

Sounds like serious obstruction

What a surprise

[Tactical Peek]

19. Kick.

[liberalla]

20. posting to read later...

thanks!