Judge questions Fusion GPS claims in Trump dossier probe
Giving a House panel more information on clients and payments wouldn't invade First Amendment rights, court suggests.
By JOSH GERSTEIN 11/30/2017 05:51 PM EST
A federal judge overseeing a legal dispute between Fusion GPS and the House Intelligence Committee suggested Thursday that forcing the private investigation firm to identify more of its clients and vendors wouldn’t run afoul of the First Amendment.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon repeatedly noted that data the intelligence panel is seeking from Fusion’s bank as part of the investigation into Russian influence in the 2016 election would reflect only the names of those who exchanged funds with Fusion and the amounts of those transactions, but would not reveal the substance of what the firm did.
“It would be clients and vendors and the amount, but not what the work was for,” said Leon, who issued no immediate ruling.
Fusion GPS, the investigative outfit that commissioned the so-called dossier of accurate, inaccurate and unverified claims relating to Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Russia, has asked the court to block or narrow a subpoena the House Intelligence Committee issued to the firm’s bank.
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https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/30/trump-dossier-probe-fusion-gps-first-amendment-272953
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