This story is the most important story of the week- if not year (all 9 days of it). It should be at the top of the website page, not seven articles down. Reading the Fusion GPS transcript thread on Twitter by Seth Abramson is a revelation- especially learning that an NYT article written by Eric Lichtblau on October 31st 2016 "...was called a "Halloween Special" by Simpson—it essentially exonerated Trump of any ties to Russia at a time the FBI knew *from a Trump campaign member* that was a lie." I always counted on the NYT for a semi-impartial view, now I'm not so sure.
9
Hey, NYT, this is big news. And it is not an "unsubstantiated" dossier. It has been partially verified. There are some serious questions to be asked, like is the Trump family heavily involved with organized crime? Who are they beholden too? The NYT is way behind the curve here.
14
New York Times, you are doing excellent, essential work on the Trump-Russia investigation. But the October 31, 2016, article was a major failure, on the cusp of the most consequential election in a generation. I recall Judith Miller's flawed reporting on the cusp of the Iraq war. You owe your readers a more detailed examination of the October 31 report.
13
I love the way the New York Times handles one of the most critical facts in this story; that the information in the dossiers was paid for by the Democratic National Committee for the express purpose of attacking the campaign of Donald Trump, and that the people compiling it were hired not to dig up the truth but to provide a political hand grenade. That information is partially revealed in paragraph eight as eight words inside dashes, surrounded by a longer sentence. That'd be like writing a long story on Harvey Weinstein and waiting until the eighth graph to note - between dashes inside another sentence - that some women claim he behaved inappropriately.
7
I like to think this is in some way Feinstein's response to having her question mansplained to death at that staged negotiation yesterday.
9
The fossilized democrats finally respond. Fight fire with fire.
4
Excellent...
3
You Go Girl! Republican cover up of Trump corruption is disgusting. We need more smart women like you to protect us from the power mongering, self-interested, poor-hating, racist, congressmen completely in the pockets of the extremely wealthy.
Besides Republicans are total hypocrites, leaking and simply releasing fake news to support their rape of this nation. Its about the Dems start releasing the truth.
7
One of the interesting things here is the headline the Times continues to repeat on the dossier, “salacious and unsubstantiated“. That is a false and misleading headline as the article itself demonstrates. Much of the material in the dossier has in fact been substantiated and has been a part of the process of determining that there was extensive coordination and collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians.
13
Proud of what Dianne Feinstein did yesterday - not as a Democrat but as an American standing for facts and truth and fairness against deceit and obfuscation by politicians unmistakably under the influence of something far from the truth.
A note to my much-loved NYT: When the NYT labels the Steele dossier “unsubstantiated”, I hear echoes of your biased, incorrectly over-emphasized reporting of Hillary’s emails during the 2016 campaign - exactly when the Times should have been aggressively pursuing Russian’s interference in that election.
Please stop equivocating about the Steele dossier. Feinstein says the facts have not been disputed. We all know Russia meddled in the election. We also know the Trump family has been pursuing financing from Russia for decades and Moscow real estate deals during the campaign. The shade you cast on the dossier is not just misleading, but confused, not your usual style.
12
Thank you, Senator Feinstein!! The Republicans are in collusion with Donald and do not want us to know the truth about the Russian dosier!
During the Watergate fiasco there were a handful of patriots and .....during Russiagate we have patriots leaking from the White House, speaking to the MSM, a book exposing the chaos in the White House and now.....Mrs. Feinstein allowing us to know what went on during the Fusion GPS interview with the judicial committee!
We, the People thank you, Senator Feinstein for your courage to get the TRUTH out!
6
Am I alone in thinking the NYT has a little more ‘splaining to do about the “Halloween treat”, the Oct 31article declaring to “no connection” between Russia and Trump or members of his campaign team? (Remember, this was at a pivot moment in the campaign...)
The NYT’s conclusion - “no connection”- was so at odds with the info Steele had passed along that he felt he could no longer trust the FBI, and sought to move the story forward by other means (the Britts, McCain).
Did the NYT jump the gun with the “conclusion” — given even what was known at the time? Were the “law enforcement officials” that the Times reporters used as sources for the story reliable? (It was no secret then that bureau agents from the NY bureau has close ties to Giulianiand were pulling for trump and gunning for Clinton...
8
Feinstein is a hero! I'm past tired of being treated like a mushroom...fed garbage and kept in the dark. Republicans are certainly afraid of something. November 6?
6
The Republicans who are attacking Mueller are joining the Trump traitors to the United States. They are trying to obstruct a legal investigation because they are traitors who want to support Russia against the United States.
4
Feinstein is a withered old hack that needs to step down, her constant interference does nothing to further her cause, her time has long since come and gone.
Good on you, Sen. Feinstein!
1
This is NOT what the Russian in the WH wanted to hear, Mr. Donalki Trumpvoska is not pleased at all. Not to worry, Trumpvoska's BFF Putin, he will make it up by allowing Russians to vote in our elections. All they need to register as voters will be to answer three questions on a small card...1. Do you know at least 2 words in English, 2. Have you ever eaten a McDonald burger, 3. Do you know at least a tiny part of the National Anthem. That's it. If you answer 2 out of three correctly, you are now a new kind of American, (AmeriRusso) and can vote in our election by mail, internet, or text. This is Trump's new America.
2
I just read the transcript. I could see this as another "Dinner with Andre" film. Very interesting. Lots of images came to mind.
2
And the Times can’t help but label the work “salacious and unsubstantiated” when it’s clear throughout this testimony that they were given access to the information and STILL continued the narrative that there was no connection between Trump and Russia, failing its readers.
Excellent piece from Erik Wemple in the Washington Post discussing the NYT and this subject this morning. Baquet doing some backtracking also.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2018/01/09/a-real-ha...
7
The article includes a big lie, to wit: "Since then, investigators and journalists have developed extensive evidence linking Mr. Trump’s associates to Russian government and intelligence operatives...." That's not true, and the NY Times knows it isn't true. All that investigators have found is that: a. The President elect's national security advisor talked with the Russian ambassador during the transition (totally normal), b. Jeff Sessions had a brief chat with that Russian ambassador during the convention backstage, and had a meeting with the guy in his Senate office the day after he met with the Ukrainian ambassador in his Senate office (totally normal), c. a few lower level or temporary campaign people had drinks or conversations with people like...hmmm, a Maltese professor in London who CLAIMED to have unnamed contacts in Russia who CLAIMED to have contacts on some Russian government foreign relations committee, and, a Russian lawyer, a woman, who was lobbying to get rules on adopting children from Russia changed, a woman who was for unexplained reasons given a special visa by the Obama administration to visit the U.S. on very short notice, and who also met with the folks at Fusion GPS the week BEFORE she met with some people at the Trump campaign... I mean, this is garbage. Calling contacts like this "links to Russian intelligence" is flatout LYING. The people who used to run the Times as a legitimate paper must be writhing in their graves over this tabloid crud.
1
How did Senator Feinstein PHYSICALLY release the report?
Did she upload it to her Senate website
https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?id=B708...
or some other way?
Bravo Dianne Feinstein!
1
Not only is the NY Times burying this story and not giving it the play it deserves, the lede of this article presents the same mischaracterization of the Steele dossier as Fox News does. Despite much having been proven true.
Including that Donald Trump Jr. sent an e-mail that made it clear that he and the VERY HIGHEST Trump campaign officials were meeting with Russians offering dirt on Hillary Clinton at that very time.
The NY Times' reporting on October 31, 2016 has already been proven to be false and lying propaganda from pro-Trump leaks in the FBI and you have yet to reveal the source. It is unethical for a journalist to protect a source that intentionally lied to the journalist so that the reporter could print dishonest propaganda.
Why is the NY Times protecting the pro-Trump leakers in the FBI who lied to their journalists and got the newspaper of record to print an outright lie right before the election in order to convince voters of a fact that was not true?
You owe it to your readers to reveal who in the FBI intentionally tried to fool the American public by lying to reporters.
4
With this article, NYT again distorts the facts trying to deflect attention from its own incompetence/malfeasance/malpractice.
The Democrats did not pay for the dossier, it was commissioned by republicans earlier. Trying to show the republican "concerns" about the dossier as potentially valid is compounding the past failures of the times.
I have finally, admittedly belatedly, cancelled my subscription.
5
It certainly feels like the NYT is putting its thumb on the scale here. I can't tell why though since after prefacing the article with a distinctly dismissive tone toward Fusion GPS and Mr Simpson they report the facts which make that dismissive preface seem arbitrary.
1
Salacious and unsubstantiated? Really? Those are the first words that come to your minds when contemplating a solid piece of sleuthing into Trump’s ties with Russia?
The salacious bits might be unsubstantiated. The rest is, as numerous sources attest, deadly accurate. And nobody cares about Trump’s sexual escapades. So why is that the header?
What is wrong with the NYT? Is there a Trump fanatic writing the headers? No editor to put some brakes on that?
8
"... Mr. Simpson sought to portray himself as an astute researcher well versed in the Russian government and that country’s organized crime." Really, NYT? "(s)ought to portray himself"? That's a snide description of someone who IS an astute researcher and knows exactly what he's talking about.
2
THIS is a TRUE patriot! That You for DOING YOUR JOB Senataor Feinstein!
The truth shall set us free! Keep on fighting for the truth!
7
Thank you Senator Feinstein. Sunlight is the best disinfectant when it comes to vermin.
4
What’s astounding is the utter disregard for the facts by Grassley and Graham and their obvious “collusion” to ignore the Steele report findings and the obvious events that followed: December 9th Senator McCain was given the report by Sir Andrew Wood at a Canadian conference, McCain then shared it with James Comey. Soon after in January TRUMP was given the findings. December 26th Oleg Erovinkin, former FSB general and reputedly the “Source B” was murdered and in January, the FSB arrested 2 offficers in the agency’s CYBER-SECURITY unit and one security expert and charged them with treason. Soon after, Christopher Steele bolted with his family to a hideout. All this happened concomitantly. Steele’s report stated: “in return the Trump team had agreed to sideline Russian intervention in Ukraine....and to raise (subject of) US/NATO commitments...to deflect attention away from Ukraine. This is PRECISELY what the Trump organization orchestrated.
It’s astounding that all these “coincidences” have been ignored by sycophant Republicans and finally it’s equally astounding the pedigree of Steele has abeen ignored and his veracity questioned. A man who worked in great danger as a spie for 3 years in Moscow and 5 years as head of the Russian desk! A highly educated man with numerous secret connections (as spies do), and is as qualified as any F.B.I. or CIA operative including Mueller and Comy, but whose word and work are questioned! I guess if it’s not “made in the USA” , it’s worthless.
6
Dianne Feinstein is the best.
3
This story got shuffled to p 13 in the national edition. I wonder if it had anything to do with the reminder of NYT role in misleading readers in the article they ran on oct 31 2016?
5
Thank you DiFi for breaking ranks and having the courage and moral compass to do the right thing and FINALLY fight back against the corrupted Republican congressional leaders as well as our illegitimate "president" all of whom do not follow our laws or moral societal norms. We are not a Country comprised of immoral, racist, misogynistic, anti-semitic and nazi-sympathizers. It is time for WE, THE PEOPLE, to take our Country back and send every treasonous politician/person to jail. Hopefully DiFi's courage will open the floodgates and be seized upon and supported by whatever uncorrupted intelligence agencies, congressional leaders and WH administers exist -- if any. DEMS need to fight back and you will be supported by millions for doing so -- TRUTH and MORALITY is on or side! RESIST!
3
Dropping my subscription if the New York Times does not get it't act together.
3
I am so glad to have two female Senators. No sex scandals, no corruption, just two amazing Senators who care about their constituents. Nuts to the rest of you.
7
Mr. Simpson's testimony was "behind closed doors" and Sen Feinstein's unilateral release of the transcript was irresponsible. She should have known better.
This is an investigation.
Now other witnesses have the advantage of knowing his "line" and making certain that they don't contradict his statement of "facts." They can all get their stories "straight" to support their "side of the story" to cover their own backsides.
This is not the type of behavior we have come to expect from Sen Feinstein. Very disappointing.
“Salacious and unsubstantiated...” report?? Come on, NY Times! You’ve really disappointed me with this comment about the Steele dossier. I count on you to be more fact-based and less inflammatory than the rest. Even Senator Feinstein, who’s release of the Simpson interview transcripts has allowed you to publish it, has been quoted as saying “...to my knowledge there has not been a single fact in that report that has been proven to be incorrect...” She should know. After all, she has been privy to far more detail about it than either you or I have.
7
Shame on Grassley. How dare he lie to his constituents in defense of this most atrocious chief executive. Grassley has chosen party over country. What in heaven's name is he thinking? He's an old man not long for this world. Is this how he wants his career to end, a whimpering boot kisser to a deranged president? Shame on you, Senator. May God have mercy on your soul. There will be none coming from moi.
DD
Manhattan
5
Why does NY Times insist on calling the dossier 'salacious and unsubstantiated'?
There's only a small section re the 'pee' story and the only parts unsubstantiated are those by Russian moles on the ground. NY Times should know better. I'm cancelling my subscription if they cant get the facts right.
4
Feinstein's action releasing the testimony before the investigative committee is not what compromises witnesses but rather, the extraordinary efforts by republicans to repress that testimony and actually compromise witness evidence to conceal a glaring truth about the Russians and Trump sidling up to them. Grassley is the one caught with his shorts down around his ankles as he tripped over his groveling.
5
As a side note, before the Democrats paid for the dossier it was commissioned by Republicans. Why is this so rarely mentioned? I’m beginning to think the NYT has been infiltrated by the GOP.
8
Difi shows us what a tough old bird she is for she has strategically time her Fusion disclosures to both steal attention from her Dem challenger -- and I bet she has this stunt timed to drop juast as her 'dem challenger was getting some attention. She has never been a progressive and now she shows herselfnton be repugnant. Di, step down. You are too old, too corrupt and too conservative to rep CA.
Fantastic. Feinstein did something right. She undermined the undermining of the congressional republicans and gave them what they have been giving the democrats - the finger - since 2009. DACA for a wall - human beings for brick and mortar - only republicans could dream that one up.
5
“Her action undermines the integrity of the committee’s oversight work and jeopardizes its ability to secure candid voluntary testimony,” the spokesman (for Sen. Grassley) Taylor Foy, said. This is clearly a lie, as Simpson publicly (in the NYTimes) begged the committee to release his testimony. If anything, refusing to release the testimony transcript would jeopardize the committee's ability to secure voluntary testimony since those who volunteer to testify could later be smeared by the Republicans and frustrated in their attempts to have the transcript made public to reveal the turth.
6
No smoking gun here, I read the entire transcript is well, I just don't see anything what the Democrats described.
Nonevent
The liberals always act as if they are on the verge of something big. Just one more little tweet and the whole house of cards will come tumbling down. In the meantime Russian- colluding mentally ill and ready for the twenty-fifth amendment Donald J. Trump keeps on winning. All he has to do is issue the casting call and all the Democratic extras and bit players dutifully appear on the set trying to look like they have a serious thought in their heads but grateful for the photo-op. Lights! Cameras! Action! The golden age of theater has arrived!
Well, well. Someone in the Democratic party is fighting back. Grassley should be called out and exposed for what he is.
6
This was amazing of Feinstein. Grassley has been acting as if Russia is blackmailing him also, and is putting party over country. Republicans don't care about a foreign hostile power interfering in our democratic process.
4
Good for Feinstein for telling the Republicans to scratch. Republicans are covering for Trump, making them complicit. If Trump goes down for obstruction or worse, so should these Republicans.
8
Diane Feinstein is one of a growing number of Patriots that have decided in their hearts and minds that they will put country and duty first.
Bravo
7
The most serious allegation in the Russian Dossier regarding Trump or the Trump campaign is that Russia released hacked DNC email to WikiLeaks with the “full knowledge and support” of the Trump campaign. In return, the dossier alleges the Trump campaign “agreed to sideline Russian intervention in Ukraine as a campaign issue and to raise US/NATO defense commitments to the Baltic and Eastern Europe to deflect attention away from Ukraine, a priority for PUTIN who needed to cauterize the subject.” However, Julian Assange has offered to present proof that WikiLeaks did not get the DNC email from Russia in exchange for the same type of immunity provided to news media outlets when they publish stolen documents. The Justice Department should take Assange up on his offer. If Assange’s evidence proves convincing, the remainder of the dossier that applies to the 2016 election can be disregarded. It present sufficient reasons why Americans should have not vote for Trump, but no evidence of unlawful collusion. There is no doubt Russia attempted to influence the 2016 election, and reason the Trump campaign welcomed Moscow’s support, but that’s not illegal
I seem to be in the minority here, but I believe Feinstein was out of line in her release of the transcript. It should be released, but not by one individual acting on her own. She should have had the endorsement of the Democratic caucus. To act without this was an arrogant assumption of power and privilege.
The real reason the Republicans did not want the transcripts provided was because they reveal that the Republicans were only interested in discrediting Steele (who was for all intents and purposes a whistleblower) rather than paying any attention to what he was saying.
It's not just "party before country" with the Republicans. It's Putin and campaign donations before country, and it's growing increasingly hard to justify.
5
Fascinating read. Just finished it. Real insight into proper rules of order, investigation and civil discourse. As to content: very powerful information into the character and dealings of President Trump.
3
I read the whole transcript. Have any of you who are commenting? I don't think so. It is completely obsfucating, Mr Simpson refuses to answer any real and important questions, protected by his lawyer who continually tells him to not answer. The entire "interview" proves nothing. What a ploy - to release this run-on document which was conducted NOT UNDER OATH. More travesty against our democracy and against an honest understanding of events.
Is Feinstein mentally fit? She seems really out of it.
Maybe we could get her and Pelosi checked out by a shrink and get a 2 for 1 discount.
2
Seriously? She got tired of hearing Grassley lie about the testimony, so she released the transcript to put an end to his storytelling. Maybe you’re too close to see the forest for the trees, but the rest of the world isn’t.
8
Sounds like misogyny to me.
2
What is it that makes you question the mental fitness of Feinstein and Pelosi? They seem fine to me. On the other hand, trump and Co. Crime Syndicate are not fine at all. But we see it; we know it. No psychiatric exam needed to confirm what is obvious: deranged, corrupt, greed-driven, putrid. As for Feinstein—she is a true patriot.
3
From the transcript of interview: (pg. 178)
"On October 31st the New York Times posed a story saying that the FBI is investigating Trump and found no connections to Russia and, you know, it was a real Halloween special.
Sometime thereafter the FBI -- I understand Chris severed his relationship with the FBI out of concern that he didn't know what was happening inside the FBI and there was a concern that the FBI was being manipulated for political ends by the Trump people and we didn't really understand what was going on. So he stopped dealing with them."
If the NY Times keeps reporting the right wing propaganda that the FBI was in the tank for Hillary Clinton and covering up for her when you have THIS information plus the lies your reporters Eric Lichtblau and Steven Lee Myers were receiving from an FBI insider and dutifully reporting without question on October 31, 2016, then the entire editorial staff of the NY Times should step down in shame.
Your own journalists reported what was misleading propaganda covering up a serious investigation into Trump's wrongdoing. Or perhaps an attempt by co-opted pro-Trump FBI agents to QUASH an investigation. Recall this is the same FBI who - upon learning of the hack of the DNC -- left a message on an IT subcontractor's help desk voicemail. Your journalists should have been skeptical long ago rather than stenographers for lies. Who were their lying sources?
12
Has anyone else noticed the comments about the damaging role that the NY times played in deflecting attention from Russian interference? Sigh.
12
I wish I could call Sen. Grassley a traitor to his face. I honestly believe he has betrayed our country. It's funny how "traitor" and "betray our country" have lost the significance and meaning they used to have. Nowadays, the concept of treason and the label of traitor are just political maneuverings, play-things for cable tv news. If I told Sen. Grassley he was a traitor, he would just think "oh, a liberal" and not realize the contemptible company it puts him in.
15
Transparency - the death knell to liars and manipulators, i.e., Trump and the GOP in general.
12
So why isn't the Times publishing the transcript and why does the article say the Steele report on Russia is unsubstantiated? If it is unsubstantiated why have 17 US security agencies stated that Russia did interfere with the election. There may be parts of the report that are unsubstantiated, but to state that the entire report (dossier if you want to sound French) is irresponsible. (fake news in Trumpese)
14
Maybe the NY Times should change its own motto to "All the news that is unsubstantiated." Attributable to "intelligence officials" of course.
Dear Denis,
The transcript of the interview with Mr. Simpson is embedded in the article. 311 pages and a bit of a slog but worth a read. It is clear that the Trump campaign was reaching to Russia for whatever help they could get to win the election. What is not clear to me is whether Russia really had any significant effect on the election with or without collusion with Trump's organization.
I voted for Mrs. Clinton and whatever shenanigans the Russians and Trump cooked up had not effect on my vote.
Senators Grassley and Graham have some explaining to do.
16
It's OK for Graham and Grassley to file a CRIMINAL (???) complaint against Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele if only to sow doubt in the minds of the base. Senator Feinstein, heroically said - creating my own dialog - "uh-uh, you guys are going to trickle out unfounded and absurd misinformation? Not on my watch! Here it is America, for you to decide"
Thank you Senator!
25
Sometimes it just takes a woman with guts.
20
Which national elections have we undermined over the years with CIA involvement or promoted coups (like JFK did in 63 in Vietnam)? Another pot calling the kettle black.
2
This whole story has become bigger than the original accusations laid out against the President.
Nothing good will come of this.
2
How is the work of a research organization "privileged" in the context of a legal investigation? They are not attorneys or physicians or priests. Where's the "privilege" to keep that information secret?
7
It is frightening that people like this woman are in any positions of authority within our government. I'm not talking about her releasing these transcripts.
Term limits, anyone?
2
We already have term limits. It's called elections.
3
You tell us what you're NOT talking about but don't tell us what you're talking about?
And then you disparage HER?
I think Ms. Feinstein is much more "on the ball" than you are.
3
You sound like a Russian bot! She has every right to release these documents! The REAL danger is secrecy!
3
Republicans have always paid lip service to the Senate as an institution but in recent years they have trashed the place, most notably - until now - with the Merrick Garland/Neil Gorsuch travesty. Grassley's recent attempt to suppress this transcript should once and for all expose Republican Senators as the self-serving hypocrites that they are. Senator Feinstein did a service to the Senate and the nation.
19
Resist. Insist. Persist. Thank you Senator Feinstein, you have made Dems proud. R.I.P., GOP
16
And trump is furious, calling her actions "underhanded and possibly illegal." If Feinstein had released information on Hillary, trump would have praised her.
trump, having people in Congress (much less the Oval Office) who act on behalf of our democratic principles rather than your personal motivations matters! Congratulations for one Senator who has the spine to do what's right!
19
He would know about "underhanded" but what would be illegal?
nothing that I know of. I guess someone needs to ask trump what he means (which may be nothing, but we all know how he likes to throw threats around).
Dianne Feinstein is a hero. And it was so simple. All she had to do was reveal the truth.
16
Shame on Senator Feinstein for breaching the confidentiality of closed Senate Hearings! She, and those who sanction her action, have made clear that there should be no confidentiality in government hearings. So, please, someone, release the transcripts of Lois Lerner's testimony regarding IRS abuse of power. Surely someone else in our government has just as much courage as Senator Feinstein!
Generally, I agree that protocols should not be broken in games of political one-upmanship, but in this case, this was the right thing to do.
First, Fusion asked for their testimony to be released, so it wasn’t confidential; confidentiality is a right held by the testifier, and they were clearly willing to waive it.
Second, the reason Fusion wanted the transcript released was because the Rs on the committee were lying about what Fusion had said. They and Feinstein wanted to establish the truth. That is the only response to such corrupt behaviour, no matter which party is guilty of it.
Third, it was also done after two partisan members of the committee, in a total break with protocol, used their own lies to justify a partisan referral of the FBIs own witness to the FBI for investigation into possible criminal conduct. This means that (1) the norms of committee behaviour had already been violated, in an extremely partisan way, so that ship has sailed; and (2) the only way to set the record straight, expose that move for the partisan dirty trick it is, and protect their person was to make what really happened public.
Fourth, it was not classified, so no breach there (just covering off something that may be raised in future).
Finally, since there is no reason for this transcript to be kept secret, I would argue that our system of government is actually best served by releases like this. Congress should adopt a protocol of automatic release to the public.
5
If there was anything of interest, Republicans would have released it.
hmmmm......"shame on you for telling the truth!"..... just has a tinny ring to it.
2
Thank you, Senator Feinstein. Finally, a public servant who values her country, and refuses to protect a corrupt and deceitful administration and its flunkies.
As a native Iowan, I'm thoroughly disgusted by Grassley's lies and distortions and efforts to sink this committee. But, he has proven again how ill-suited the republicons are to govern.
15
99 percent of the spy game is simply misinformation. I think a good many people have been misinformed here. Suggest you read the book "Double Cross" or perhaps watch the film "The Man who Wasn't There:"
From Hillary Clinton to the women marching and resisting to Sally Yates to Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Dianne Feinstein we have benefitted from the power of women to cut through the self-serving deceptions, complicity, and worse of GOP men. Thank you, Senator Feinstein, for your strong action and well-timed reminder to your GOP colleagues that they are supposed to serve the people, not the would-be King.
14
Keep pulling the thread and pretty soon the whole sweater will unravel. it is only a matter if time
10
Grassley claims that Feinstein’s publication of the hearings undermines the committee’s ability to hear candid testimony. What that overlooks is that the principals of Fusion GPS pleaded for publication of their testimony in a Times Op ed, saying that they were being manipulated by Republicans. Up is down. Black is White.
13
Dear Geoffery James,
I did not see the Times Oped you are referring to but if you read the transcript of the interview, Mr. Simpson's lawyer asks that the transcript be made confidential. (See last page of the interview transcript)
Grassley is disappointing by not following through 150% against the state that attacked u, Russia. By playing these games for partisan reasons, he shows him not to be a patriot or for the American people.
8
If Trump were to suddenly declare himself a Democrat, the Republicans would suddenly become patriotic.
12
Trump has previously done just that. He has switched parties numerous times over the years.
1
As the article notes, the Glenn Simpson testimony "provided fresh ammunition to both sides of a growing fight over the dossier." But the problem with releasing the closed-door testimony is that future witnesses now know what Simpson told FBI about the roles the Clinton campaign, DNC, Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele played in the production and distribution of the Russian dossier. They can tailor their own testimony accordingly.
Dear William Case,
It really seems to have been a mistake to let the cat out of the bag, but I guess Ms. Feinstein thought it would make a bigger impression on Mr. Trump than keeping confidential.
It's much harder for Trump, and by extension the GOP, to muddy and obfuscate when the documents of fact are presented. No huge bomb shells in the testimony, but some clarity over events and a presentation by a sincere and intelligent man, something the GOP can't offer even if they want to.
10
Good for us. Collusion doesn't have to directly involve Russian government officials to be collusion with the Russian Government.
We need to remember particularly when so many of our government services are outsourced, that working with a private individual can be virtually the same as working with the government, Blackwater security guards claimed the right to be treated the same US soldiers. Following that, a Russian oil billionaire might as well be part of Putin's cabinet, A Russian Banker might as well be the treasury secretary.
Will Tillerson privatize the State Department, giving Trump his own private Cia type Spy Network paid for with my dime?
Do the Russians or Trump have "compromat" on the Republicans in Congress?
1
Now Simpson and Steele have become great patriots acting only out of their concern that a presidential candidate might be blackmailable, so they just had to go to the FBI with their story, and then the FBI had to bring the matter before FISA, so that an incoming president could be spied upon by an eavesdropping Susan Rice, the greatest patriot of them all, on her way out the door. How brave both Simpson and Steele were because, as we are told, someone had already been killed, but they wanted to live to tell their story. In better days the disgraced Harvey Weinstein would have made a movie of it with Kevin Spacey in one of the lead roles. It would then be released by Diane Feinstein, who says Americans should judge for themselves. At the awards ceremony Oprah would then deliver an absolutely presidential address to the Hollywood elite who would respond with a standing ovation. Golden globes for everyone! The Democrats are on their way back!
3
This is one of the most interesting things I ever read. Thanks to Senator Feinstein from the great state of California!
15
The clock is ticking for these treasonous criminals.
They have been able to obfuscate and delay but the truth is coming out, little by little. What we have seen, from Fusion or otherwise, is in Mr. Mueller's hands.
The days appear to be numbered for the fool in the White House and the long national nightmare of his dishonest, mean-spirited and treasonous gang.
20
At last: A Democrat has brought a gun to a gun fight. Get 'em Dianne. We need more Democrats like you. Thanks from the bottom of my heart.
21
It seems very few commenting here have read the transcript they are applauding the Senator from CA for releasing.
Look at pgs 23-26.
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4345537-Fusion-GPS-Simpson-Trans...
1
Thank you Senator Feinstein! You are a true patriot in the face Grassley and Graham's obvious treason. You should be awarded the Medal of Freedom.
10
First paragraph: "the firm that produced a salacious and unsubstantiated dossier outlining a Russian effort to aid the Trump campaign." The FIRM didn't produce the dossier--Mr. Steele did, based on his sources from a career intelligence role regarding Russia; second, most of the facts contained in the dossier HAVE been substantiated--to say that it is an "unsubstantiated dossier" is a lie. Some few of the allegations reported by Mr. Steele, from his sources, have not been verified...that includes the salacious information, reported to him by his sources, that allows your reporters to categorize the ENTIRE dossier as "salacious"--which is another lie. READ THE TRANSCRIPT. And don't let fools like this give Trumpsters the ammunition to call the NYT "fake news."
14
Wasn't Steele working for Fusion GPS?
Dear JPR,
If you read the transcript you will learn that the charges in the dossier prepared by Mr. Steele for Fusion were not so much "substantiated" but were deemed "credible" by Mr. Simpson of Fusion GPS, since the source of all the data came from human sources, as opposed to publically verifiable sources. Nevertheless, it seems from my reading that it is clear that Russia and Trump have a connection but the precise measures utilized are still not that clear.
Canadians also thank you
12
We live in a time where no good deed goes unpunished.
Honestly now - who would you take for a truth-teller? A man who championed the birther conspiracy and expressed his opinion towards women in the Access Hollywood tape? A former veteran MI6 agent well-thought of by the American intelligence community? Not to mention - the former heads of the FBI (James Comey and Robert Mueller)?
Grassley and Graham are parading around sans fig leaf. Preferring charges against Steele is clearly nothing more than obfuscation. Even worse than their dishonesty is their suffocating contempt for the American people. Do they really think that we're that stupid?
14
Did the confirming source within Trump’s domain accompany him to Moscow?
So let's get this straight. Mrs. Clinton, the DNC and the FBI paid Fusion GPS to write up a bunch of fake news about Trump, McCain gives it the FBI and the FBI uses the fake news to obtain a FISA warrant to spy on Trump. This is amazing!
2
the FBI didn't pay for the dossier. Neither did Clinton. the Republicans started the investigation at it was picked up by the DNC.
8
You got it wrong. The FBI has the information long before McCain delivered it. Try again, only read about the truth first, not Republican smokescreens.
7
It's disgusting to hear traitors (if they are American) or Russia trolls like P McGrath allowed to post lies like the above. P McGrath knows that this information came from a British MI5 agent so respected that he was in charge of intelligence gathering on Russia. But he calls what he found "fake News" because the President who told him he had a copy of Obama's Kenyan birth certificate must be telling the truth. These trolls or traitors should not be posting on here unless they stop making up treasonous lies about America as P McGrath did.
8
Does no one else find Christopher Steele's departure from Fusion GPS odd? Steele quit the investigation when the dossier was first publicly dismissed as refutable. You might conclude this was an attempt to distance himself from his own document or perhaps his contacts went to ground in light of political circumstances. I for one take the matter differently.
Walking away from a paycheck under these circumstances sounds like a disgruntled employee to me. I'd quit too if someone was dragging my hard work through the mud for political reasons. I wish we had the transcript from Steele's testimony as well. I wouldn't be surprised if Steele had a few expletives to offer Senator Grassley during his course of inquiry.
2
He wasn’t an employee. He was a contractor, hired to do this job. Job done, contract over.
He did, however, go into hiding for a while, apparently concerned that either the Trump folks or the Russians would be, let’s say unhappy, about the contents of his report.
4
Steele quit due to fear of being asassinated! I believe he is in hiding.
1
Senator Feinstein "warned" Trump and the Republicans a few months ago, saying she would give them the benefit of the doubt and some time to succeed. Many called her out on this as weakness. Dianne Feinstein has never been weak as far back as we have known her here in San Francisco. She has done us proud with this transcript release (and with her direct challenge to Trump yesterday at that disorganized meeting on DACA). This is the kind of bold move only experience brings.
19
Isn't it time for Bob Mueller to expand his obstruction case to include Nunes, Ryan, Grassley, Graham, McConnell, and most of the other Republicans sitting on the House Intelligence Committee, the Senate Intelligence Committee, and the Judiciary Committee?
21
Got McCarthyism?
1
No. Got traitors in the GOP? You betcha!
2
We don't know if he has already done that. Remember, Mueller does something and we may find out about it months later. He doesn't leak like the blackhouse.
I want to thank Diane Feinstein for having the courage to release this transcript. I want to ask why the New York Times seems in this article to suggest the dossier is not a legitimate document by referring to it as "salacious and unsubstantiated" - to me, these are word choices intended to instill doubt. As I understand it, there are certain things in the dossier that have been substantiated, other things seem off (like the Cohen meeting in Prague) and other things that haven't been substantiated. Just because something has not yet been substantiated does not mean that it is not true - even if it is salacious. And even if certain aspects are off (as Steele has conceded) that does not mean that the document as a whole should not be taken seriously and investigated further.
The hearing transcript makes clear that the Republicans only want to discredit the witness (who is the messenger here) rather than getting to the heart of the matter. Before the transcript was released, and probably when he thought it wouldn't be released, Grassley said the witness was uncooperative. That is a flat out misrepresentation - the witness was fully cooperative. What the Republicans are doing is is what lawyers do in litigations when they are trying to discredit experts whom they know have testimony that is damaging to them.
Can we just call this for what it is - the key takeaway from the transcript is the concerted efforts being made by Republicans to obstruct justice.
23
Having just finished reading all 312 pages of the Simpson interview it is clear why the Republicans did not want it to become public.
First, Grassley and Feinstein and their various lawyers agreed that Simpson would not discuss who hire Fusion. One of the ground rules for a voluntary appearance. The Republican lawyers then spent more than 9 hours trying to weasel an answer out of Simpson and failed.
Second, the Republican lawyers tried to paint Simpson as a Democratic operative but Simpson spent 9 hours telling them that some of his best friends are Republicans and they hire his company.
Third, the Republican lawyers tried to smear Steele who Simpson defended -- at one point calling him "a boy scout".
Whatever the Republicans thought they could accomplish interviewing Mr. Simpson, to my mind they failed miserably. No wonder they didn't want it publicized!
24
Good to see that someone finally had the guts to figuratively “punch” Grassley squarely in the face. His policies of obstructionism and his rubber-stamping unfit federal judges shows that he has no respect for the American people. Bravo Senator Feinstein!
35
The Republicans think if you cover your ears and yell loud enough it will drown out the Truth.. Sorry but I think most Americans once they see the Truth that Trump and the Republican party colluded with Putin the Mob and Russian intelligence the game is over.
Hopefully a lot of very corrupt Republican government employees who are now attempting to obstruct justice will be thrown out of office and serve some time in a federal prison once all the facts come out...Now that would be Sweet Justice.
31
Hope that Mueller deposes Grassley & Graham since they clearly seem to have been obstructing justice.
19
We need to push back much harder against the treasonous actions of Grassley and Graham, but this is a welcome first move. My only regret is that these guys are too powerful and will slither out of any punishment for their behavior. We need to thank Steele for recognizing the threat to our democracy that our elected leaders refuse to see.
25
Bravo Senator Feinstein!
American citizens deserve to know what Republicans are hiding to protect Trump. They're more interested in maintaining their grip on the levers of power than exposing potential treason.
Shame on the New York Times for this weaselly reporting.
"provided fresh ammunition to both sides of a growing fight over the dossier."
"Republicans have repeatedly and vocally raised concerns that the dossier — a set of reports paid for by Democrats — could have been mishandled by the F.B.I. as it was opening its own investigation into the Russian effort and the Trump campaign. "
This demonstrably false statement is unclear whether it describes what is under discussion, or how Republicans describe it, but in either case, the reporting ignores the substance of what is in the transcript Feinstein released in favor of stenography for Republican talking points.
Specifically, Fusion GPS was doing this opposition research work on Trump's Russian business (?organized crime?) ties in service to Republicans opposing Trump in their primary 9 months before Democrats became involved.
There also was FBI concern over Trump's Russia ties significant enough for them to start an investigation of their own before they ever heard anything from Steele or Fusion.
17
A more detailed description of the transcript's contents can be found here. It's a bit of a tedious slog, but it shows just how much Republicans are lying about this investigation and how they'd rather have Trump in power, even if he is Putin's puppet, than have a fair and honest investigation of that possibility.
https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/950832488321961984
2
Actually, it is Brava Senator Feinstein.
Thank you, all we ever wanted was to see the truth, not Republican innuendo.
14
Trump is claiming this release "broke the law". HOW?
3
It hurt his delicate feelings which is now illegal.
1
Seems like someone should make criminal referrals against Sen. Grassley, and for good measure, Rep. Nunes. Call it conspiracy to obstruct justice. Sad!
20
Doesn.t every president have the obligation to "Preserve, Protect and Defend" the USA? Here we have a president who refuses to prevent further incursions upon our democracy. Isn't that Treason? Will someone with the guts (substitute other stronger word) please begin this process or there will be no USA as we know it.
8
The real question, of course, is why did Senators Grassley and Graham NOT want to release the transcript? And the obvious answer is: because it would expose their lies and their “treasonous and unpatriotic”—to coin a phrase—behavior.
20
The Republicans have surrendered to Trump; they are in his pocket now.
3
Thank you Dianne. The truth should not be hidden. Period. Bravo, kudos to you and others like you.
14
Senator Feinstein is a shining example of what American patriotism looks like.
Graham and Grassley running interference into the investigation is as low as it gets.
This should be on every campaign ad come November that the Republicans put party before country.
16
The senator from Iowa is proving to be complicit and a midwestern version of mcconnell.
The good people of Iowa deserve better!
In short an elected official was exposed in a boldface lie to the American public, a lie that ended in a request to bring charges against someone that actually did the right thing.
It is now clear and formally documented for all to see that grassly is allergic to the truth when it runs counter to the GOP.
Resist, Vote, Repeat
21
The good people of Iowa keep voting for this jerk.
It is time for Feinstein to retire. For that matter, Pelosi needs to go also.
3
Both are way past their "Expiration Date".
Russians attached us.
Trump's team helped.
Republicans don't care.
We get it. Enough already.
But, at least let's change the party name, for accuracy if not honesty; how about "ReTRUMPlicans." And the new party slogan: "defending the indefensible since 2016. (Brought to you by Vladimir Putin.)"
The party of Lincoln has become the party of treason.
5
Only a Russian would want politicians who put America first to go. Only a Russian would want politicians who cover up wrongdoing as we now know that Republicans on the committee have done to stay in power. Is that because you know Putin has more dirt on them to blackmail them into more cover ups for their guy, Trump?
1
The short term ramifications of the Senator's unilateral decision to make public, private Senate Committee documents will please her fellow Democrats but will otherwise be a minor event . It is the long term consequences of her unilateral decision that will have major consequences for the Senate in general and for Democrats in particular. Democrats have typically transiently enjoyed their trailblazing efforts to " dramatically change, or eliminate longstanding rules put in place to force compromise, when they don't like the immediate results of political discourse, but they end up paying an enormous and permanent price for such ephemeral political advantage. Like Harry Reid's decision to approve Federal Justices on a simple majority vote, and for Joe Biden's lies about Robert Bork to keep him off SCOTUS, Democrats will pay a severe and permanent price her transgression. Thank you Senator Feinstein, for removing yet another constraint on your political opponents .
November 2018 will be a blood bath. The GOP has proved itself unworthy of public office and in direct opposition of the interests of the American people. They will lose and lose badly. You are in part correct though. There will be no constraints, just not in the way you imagine.
1
Thanks, Toni, for your observation: Republicans need an excuse to act in bad faith. I always wondered why they do what they do. Here's a shiny object.
1
Hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother's eye.
2
I have to add my strong thanks to Senator Diane Feinstein for her act of courage in releasing the transcript of the Fusion GPS testimony. I have always respected Senator Feinstein as a principled, intelligent and level-headed person. With this action, she has demonstrated what all of the Senators should be doing: honestly searching for the truth about how the Russians impacted our election process and the extent to which the Trump campaign was involved. So far the Republican senators have demonstrated that they are not taking their oath to the Constitution seriously. I had thought that Senators Graham and Grassley were ethical and reasonable men, who would put country before party. Their actions and words are making be doubt my assessment.
14
I believe there may be a difference between "courage" and "political maneuvering", which is derived from the root word "manure".
1
When are they going to subpoena Rudy Giuliani?
12
Hooray for Senator Feinstein!
13
Diane Feinstein is the true patriot here. Graham and Grassley are traitors who put their party over their country. Shame on them.
25
Hooray for Senator Feinstein.
10
More outrageous efforts to keep the Russian interference story going. One would think that this tired debunked story would go away. But the Senate Democrats still proclaim the Russians interfered in the election with the same tired rhetoric. They must be aware that this nonsense is helping Trump. The public has taken to the fake news meme, despite the NYTs advertised claim that they tell truth. Feinstein and Mark Warner are the guardians of the pathetic story of Hillary Clinton's lousy campaign was cheated. Which it wasn't. The Steele dossier is a wild left field attempt at character assassination. This is not a pretty story. The Clinton campaign trying to find dirt on Trump. What on earth for? Trump was a walking advertisement of bad corrupt behavior. The Democrats are praying they can come up with some celebrity wild card like Oprah Winfrey to save the party.
2
c harris, read the article. Read the transcript. This was testimony under oath. The "fake news," "debunked story" lines Republicans spout to divert attention from the Trump campaign's nefarious behavior are simply not credible.
6
I hope Grassley, Graham, McConnell, Ryan, and Nunes are now in Mr. Mueller's cross-hairs.
24
I still want to know the details of who was "killed as a result of the publication of this dossier", as Simpson's lawyer, Josh Levy, alleges. If that allegation is true, and I suspect that it is, what do you suppose the chances that we'll ever find out THOSE details, or that anyone will go to jail for the murder? The odds just got a little better that we will get the whole story with the release of this transcript. Drip by drip, the story will come out. The fact that Trump has assigned Feinstein one of his charming nicknames ("Sneaky Dianne Feinstein") tells us that he fears the coming revelations. Is he worried that the truth will reveal his complicity in the sordid affairs surrounding the 2016 election process, or is he simply worried about his re-election dreams?
7
"At least nine high-profile Russians died in the nine months after the election, including top diplomats overseas, a former Russian intelligence official that had close ties to figures mentioned in the dossier, and a security officer in the Russian consulate in New York."
http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/09/politics/feinstein-releases-glenn-simpson-...
See also: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/27/mystery-death-ex-kgb-chief-li...
2
The article states that the dossier was paid for by Democrats, but it's been reported before that Republicans started funding it, then dropped it when it was clear Trump was going to win the nomination. So it was actually paid for by both parties.
29
This Californian is proud of the action taken by Senator Feinstein in exposing the lies of Grassley and Graham with the simple truth.
19
She exposed a document which, at best, contains half truths and half lies, and no one so far can tell one from the other.
1
"The interview [...] provided few revelatory details about the firm’s findings on the Russian election effort or on President Trump and his campaign"
but further down:
"his information was considered credible by the F.B.I. “because they had other intelligence that indicated the same thing and one of those pieces of intelligence was a human source from inside the Trump organization,”
Hello, NYTimes ?! - isn't the fact that other, *independent* information from *another FBI source* backs up these horrendous claims of collusion, corruption and 'kompromoat' material, qualify as a "revelatory detail"?! Why aren't you leading with this fact? why isn't this the major story of today's paper?
Come on, put some fire into this, you think Fox news would have buried the lead? Of course not! It's a vital piece of corroboration, so stand up and proclaim it, LEAD with it, for the sake of the country, please!
20
I think that that the shifty treachery of Grassley and Graham is at least as bad as sexual harassment and they should resign immediately.
19
Stuff about the Russian mafia was chilling. Sater's office faced Trump's personal elevator to his residence, but Trump never saw the guy? Face planted several smooches on the secretary...did he think every woman who worked there was to see to his well being? Talk about your observation and baggage handling platform for those investing...
7
To quote my other favorite newspaper, "Democracy dies in Darkness," and Senator Feinstein just shed some well needed light.
16
Once again, the NYT is eliding the facts to discredit these field reports. "A set of reports paid for by Democrats"—no, it wasn't, not until it had first of all been commissioned and paid for by Republicans, so say that. You call it "salacious and unsubstantiated," when in fact large amounts of it have indeed been substantiated, so say that. You already bear much of the blame for the terrible situation we're in right now, thanks to your ingrained anti-Clinton bias and soft treatment of Trump pre-election. The least you can do is report accurately on the most consequential investigation of our lifetime.
27
Yes exactly. The NYTimes is once again on the wrong side of history in trying to thread that "unbiased" needle. It's not bias to report the facts including the fact that much of the dossier IS substantiated or that the Dems never actually got the finished product because Steele and GPS Fusion went to the FBI.
Thanks for noting the obvious. Where is editorial integrity at the Times these days?
Thank-you, Senator Feinstein!
10
Why did the NYT choose to describe Fusion GPS as "firm that produced a salacious and unsubstantiated dossier outlining a Russian effort to aid the Trump campaign." Only a small part of the dossier's contents could be considered "salacious," and it would be more accurate to say that the dossier is "currently only partially substantiated." Where are the fact checkers? Are you reading the reporting in your own paper as well as WP?
31
Totally agree. To lead the story by describing the dossier as "salacious and unsubstantiated" is to minimize, trivialize and utterly mischaracterize both the contents of and meaning of what Mr. Steele was reporting. Let's not kid ourselves. This was not a book report on a dime-store novel; it was a report about our democracy being attacked in the most nefarious of ways and enabled by a man and his team of sycophants who has neither the capacity to realize that he has been played nor the courage to admit it.
6
They like quoting themselves for lack of better sources.
Dianne Feinstein dramatically showed us what a "Snake in the Grassley" the slippery senator from Iowa is.
18
FINALLY, Dems are learning that you bring a gun to a gun fight. You can't play nice with this corrupt and morally bankrupt group of Repubs.
33
Grassley should be asked to step down based on his utter disregard for the rule of law. Once Trump is prosecuted Grassley should also be asked to step down from the committee.
24
Senator Grassley clearly realizes that the greatest threats to his party and its president are open facts. Truth is the fundamental enemy of today’s Republican Party. It has been fighting to suppress it at all costs, since the Gingrich revolution. With the election of Donald Trump, this operating philosophy has reached its zenith and finally been overexposed. Diane Feinstein is simply doing her part, poking at a house of cards that has finally started to crumble under its own weight.
26
Hick Senators Grassley and Graham are confirmed liars and now accessories after the fact to high treason.
25
99 percent of all politicians are liars 99 percent of the time The other 1 percent lie all the time. FDR, JFK, Winston Churchill, LBJ , Nixon, Feinstein, Clinton (both), Bush (both). Then again, I could be wrong. They all could be liars all the time.
I've never been a big fan of Senator Feinstein.
Other than for the fact that she has a (D) in front of her name, she has always left me somewhat cold and generally unimpressed.
However, this was an unexpected lighting bolt that she threw down, and I give her all the credit in the world for it. In the silly world of the Senate, it takes a lot to break "precedent", so for her to do what she did reveals a complete lack of trust between parties.
As far as for that old, stupid oaf Senator Grassley and our favorite fifth rate comic hack Lindsay Graham, their criminal "referral" of GPS is a despicable, ham handed act that obviously fueled Senator Feinstein's outrage and pushed her to do what she did.
Good for her.
I hope this was an indicator of more things like this to come from the Democrats, and not just a one off response. This is how we need to fight.
25
How will anybody trust conservatives again after all of this?
14
Oh the faux outrage of the hypocritical Republicans!
Suppose similar allegations had been made against Presidents Obama or Bill Clinton, and the Democrats stonewalled the release of such information.
Are we to believe that the Republicans--so fond of dirty tricks and trumped up congressional investigations such as Benghazi and Hillary's emails--would not do just what Feinstein did (and probably a lot more) and release transcripts of the senators' interview with the firm that commissioned the information?
I heard a brief interview with Democrat Adam Schiff on the intelligence committee, who indicated the profound frustration of the Democrats on the committee, because the Republicans stonewall and refuse to pursue the direction the committee needs to go in their zeal to protect Trump and his "goose-that-laid-the-golden-egg" presidency for the super wealthy 1% and the ideologically crazed far right-wing.
Why are the Republicans so afraid of the truth being told?
20
Thank goodness for Senator Feinstein's release of these transcripts. Here we are with a fake President installed by Putin as a Putin puppet, and there is little the American people can do since the Republican congress is colluding with these power brokers. We need some patriots to step forward and stand against the Republican collusion!
11
Grassley might be pondering the wisdom of recommending Steele for FBI investigation.
3
I had to laugh at the snide comment by Grassley's flack that Feinstein's action "undermines the integrity" of the committee's work. Whatever integrity the committee may have had was destroyed when Grassley and Graham called for an FBI investigation of Steele himself. Feinstein's no bomb-thrower, so you know she's had it with the GOP's obfuscation, misdirection and lack of "integrity" when she released the transcript.
31
Grassley is a disgraceful public official and should resign for his efforts to stonewall, obfuscate and spread disinformation about this vital investigation.
18
Christopher Steele for the Medal of Freedom. A Brit shows the US how to be a patriot. Make Trump preside over the award ceremony.
23
The dossier was not paid for solely by Democrats. Initially it was funded by The Washington Free Beacon and conservative hedge fund activist Paul Singer. Let's be clear and get this right.
27
I wish the media would not gloss over this fact, it's important. I would like them to report on who (specific people) directed this to be done, and who thought they would benefit.
10
Dianne Feinstein has done a brave and patriotic thing by releasing this testimony. Thank you Ms. Feinstein. If there is more to be released, please do not hesitate to do so. We deserve to judge for ourselves, especially when certain committee members are trying to muddy the waters.
12
i read the transcript. This article concludes there were 'few revelatory details', but that would be true for insiders and not curious and concerned citizens who don't follow the story for a living. I learned the 'golden shower' could be dismissed by the DJT machine and fan base, while following the money is and will be the true revelatory exercise. I learned we have a President with long-standing relationships with organized crime, both using them and being used by them, the extent of these ties and associated financial shell games surpassing my most creative nightmares. Most of all, I learned that we owe a huge debt to the clear citizenship of a Brit ex-M16 man, Chris Steele, and to Mr. Simpson who heads Fusion and testified of his own free will, in generous narrative form, for maybe 10 hours. This transcript is a riveting narrative about forces aligned against our democratic system of government, all the way to the oval office.
24
Very little to nothing gets through to the fan base. I stopped expecting it and I want the tweets from the dinosaur to keep going (much of the fans want it to stop). I read the transcripts (a little at a time). Cohen is mentioned, so I did a search on his past. His lawsuit seems like a pivot, distraction and baseless. Just look for the SEC and other rulings. If it works in the blackhouse, we're willing to bet there's a relation to the Russians, the mob, Deutsche Bank, and more.
1
Much has been made of the fact that there is a mention of "a meeting in Prague" in the dossier. Supposedly that reference does not square with someone's travel schedule.
It must be pointed out there is a very famous, old, popular restaurant in Moscow called, "Praga" -- the Russian for the Czech capital. This cavernous establishment of the type favored by apparatchiks of the Soviet era is still seen as a somewhat discreet place to confer, because it is crowded and noisy.
In Russian, the same proposition would be used to signal meeting at "the Prague restaurant" and in "the city of Prague." (And there is a much smaller, but also convenient and discreet "Prague café" in a San Francisco neighborhood where it so happens a lot of former Soviet diplomatic service families used to live, and some still do.)
If any part of the dossier had been transcribed from notes, recordings or translations, simple errors of that type could easily seep in for the simple reason that most transcribing services lack the level of familiarity required with the Russian landscape to grasp every little nuance exactly the right way.
9
On page 18, the dossier states, “the Kremlin insider clearly indicated to his/her friend that the reported contact/s took place in Prague, Czech Republic.”
The Democrats still hanging on in Congress always seem to shot themselves in the foot. Releasing this transcript without the approval of the Committee does compromise its ability to secure needed information. What might be good in this case will come back to haunt the Democrats when they are the Majority and Minority members reveal transcripts. Feinstein's grandstanding here changes the Rules much like the approval of Judges by a majority in the Senate was changed by Harry Reid. She is apparently in trouble with her securing another term and needs exposure in the Media to help. The Contract her Husband received to sell abandoned Post Office structures was quite shady. A perk she might not want to give up for future transactions. The release hasn't, so far, revealed anything we did not know. Not worth setting a new precedent. May help her get another term.
Read the document. In the “preamble” the speaker states clearly that the hearing is unclassified.
16
And all this makes her worse than Donald Trump? This guy broke the mold on breaking rules, so please spare me your outrage.
3
Bringing criminal charges against Christopher Steele, a British citizen, virtually guarantees he will not come to the US and therefore will be unavailable if Mueller requires his sworn testimony. Do the Republicans really think we can't see what they're doing?
16
So, with is true. Trump did not want to win the election. Or, Trump wanted to win so bad he colluded with Russians?
1
Thank you, Senator Feinstein, for releasing the FGPS Glenn Simpson transcript. You are a true patriot. Please keep hammering home the critical findings: that Steele and Simpson went to the FBI immediately upon learning that Trump could be blackmailed by Putin/Russia. Our President could be blackmailed by a hostile foreign power. The American people need to be told this, over and over and over, until it sinks in. Then, and only then, can the country can be saved.
23
Ironic how the party of Joe McCarthy has transformed itself into the party of fellow travelers.
11
Well, John Wilson, we won't say anything about the party of Theodore Roosevelt becoming the party of big trusts and corruption.
Thank you senator. This moves makes it very clear that Grassly and Graham are part of a pattern of lying and abusing power to obstruct justice,
Next year when you are the committee chair you can provide the rest of the evidence needed to impeach, if there has not been indictments and resignation prior to that time. And of course, you will have the ability for unmasking the role Pence played in all this too, again assuming no indictment or resignation.
The real question that is crystal clear is WHY are Republicans like Gassy and Graham willing to risk everything to obstruct justice for the Stable Genius? Are they also being blackmailed? Have they been bribed? There must be some reason that they are willing to risk break federal laws that they are sworn to uphold and defend.
23
Why exactly does it matter who paid for the dossier being gathered? It was never presented to the FBI or anyone else as a non-partisan, balanced evaluation of both major candidates. It was a deep look into one candidate's background, the same kind of 'dirt'-seeking Donald Trump Jr and friends were doing about Hillary. It was presented as such.
Some of its findings have been verified. Some have not and may never be, and some may be wrong, typical of intelligence work. But we cannot throw out what is true simply because it was part of a package that was unverified or wrong in other parts. Yes, the part about prostitutes has not been verified, but the meeting with Don Jr. has!
28
Patience is a virtue, the Senator should never have done that, it is disrespectful of the process.
Trump is not the only politician acting like a blackmail victim. Lindsay Graham's gyrations and reversals make olympic skaters look like amateurs.
Feinstein's responsible actions raise questions about Graham.
Explanations? What does this man have to gain—or—to hide?
26
Senators Grassley and Graham are the biggest threat to the work of the Intelligence Committee. Rather than conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into Russian interference in our electoral process they are trying to conduct a whitewash of any involvement by the Trump team and throw a friend of the American people under the bus for partisan political gain. Their actions demonstrate a total lack of integrity, professionalism and are at the very least malfeasance if not an attempt at obstruction of justice. They have destroyed the integrity of any resultant report issued by the Committee. They should be ashamed and resign immediately . An apology should be forthcoming to Mr Steele. Thank you Senator Feinstein for doing the right thing.
18
My question is, why have all these hearings NOT been conducted in public as they were during the Watergate Hearings. Does Congress think the American public, including Republicans, Democrats and Independents, are not smart enough to understand? I, for one, feel like Congress is insulting my intelligence.
21
As usual, it's the GOP and it's constant pivoting that confuses the reality.
Grassley says of Feinstein "“Her action undermines the integrity of the committee’s oversight work and jeopardizes its ability to secure candid voluntary testimony,”.
When it is Grassley himself that "undermines the integrity of the committee’s oversight work and jeopardizes its ability to secure candid voluntary testimony,” by attempting to bury the truth. The document is unclassified and the owner of the document requested it's release to the public.
What Grassley is really concerned about is the possibility the he might get his nose rubbed in a messy, pivotal, distraction attempt filled with innuendo.
19
“Her action undermines the integrity of the committee’s oversight work..."
But not the Republican's partisan insinuations that can't be fact checked.
And as for Sen. Grassley's worry about "voluntary testimony", you'd think that a senator with as many years of experience as he has would know that his committee has the power of subpoena.
16
There are only two plausible explanations for the actions of Grassley, Graham, McConnell, Ryan, Nunes and the rest of the GOP enablers. They are either being threatened or paid. There is no third possibility
17
Glenn Simpson’s testimony proves the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee colluded with Fusion GPS, former British spy Christopher Steele, and Russian intelligence operatives to produce a slanderous dossier with the goal of influencing the 2016 election.
Simpson’s testimony confirms Republican assertions that the dossier played a role in the FBI’s decision to launch an investigation. Simpson testified that the FBI took the dossier seriously because they were hearing similar things from a Trump campaign insider.
Throughout the testimony, Simpson and his lawyer refused to identify the names of the people who shoveled the dirt dumped into the dossier, explaining that one person has already been murdered because of the dossier. This guarantees that the dossier will never be used as evidence in a court of law. While some of the dossier is demonstratively false, none of it is demonstratively true, except parts that don’t relate to criminal activity. For example, the dossier asserts that Paul Manafort worked for the Ukrainian Party of Regions, which was never a secret.
It doesn't matter if the report can't be used in court. Mueller is using the raw data NOT the dossier (MI6 Steele reporting) in his investigation. Based on what a couple of senators said (and likely more), the only discrepancies are minor and understandable. That's why Feinstein concluded the report is 100% accurate, not the prior 70-80% accurate as previously reported. This matters for reporting to the public.
3
I don't believe Feinstein ever said the dossier is 100-percent accurate. Please cite your source or provide a link.
Grassley and Graham go after Steele for informing the FBI of his findings . they also apparently support Trump Jr ( and Sr: oh .he knew about he meeting with the Russians) for not informing the FBI of his meeting with the Russians. Seems like Graham and Grassley are trying to protect the Russians and Trump from an FBI investigation.
Feinstein not only made sure the public was informed but exposed Grassley and Graham for their duplicity. These two are damaged goods.
11
Senator Feinstein is to be commended for releasing this transcript and allowing the public to gauge for themselves the veracity of the dossier and the outlandish response of the GOP.
It should be obvious to anyone at this point that our country has entered a new political era, where obfuscation of the truth is a priority and lying is a de rigueur political tool.
Regardless of how desperate the GOP is to retain power, they will be forced to deal with a compromised, and traitorous miscreant when the truth is finally made public. We are well on the way to that eventuality now. Those of us who took the time to actually read the dossier from cover to cover, know its veracity and wait patiently for the other shoe to drop.
We are a country founded on the truth and the spilled blood of many brave men and women. We will survive this tawdry episode in our stellar history. The con man, his family, cronies and the despotic GOP will not fare so well. Our people will see to that.
12
The Simpson testimony shines an unflattering light on the Times and the blind eye they turned to the Steele dossier. This article does nothing to dispel that bad impression.
To state, as the article does, that the work of Fusion GPS was funded by Democrats ignores the original funding by Republicans and furthers the partisan attacks on the integrity of the reports. Simpson never presents himself as “well versed” in Russian affairs, that’s why Fusion GPS hired Christopher Steele. Also, calling the Steele dossier “salacious and unsubstantiated” minimizes the alarming and thorough corroboration that has been done on Steele’s work to date. It would be more correct to use the term “substantially corroborated by numerous journalistic sources including the Times”.
We look forward to an internal review of your process on this article and more fact based reporting going forward. There are not “two sides” in this case. One side is hiding the truth and the other side is seeking the truth.
14
The Grassley/Graham stunt in referring Steele for criminal prosecution completes the Republican disgrace in this investigation.
18
Thank you Senator Feinstein! Now about those investigations into GOP obstruction of justice?
14
84 year old fossil fuel Dianne Feinstein "defied her Republican colleagues on Tuesday to unilaterally make public a much-discussed transcript of the committee’s interview with one of the founders of the firm that produced a salacious and unsubstantiated dossier outlining a Russian effort to aid the Trump campaign."
So if she could have just released it, why didn't she do it last week ?
Better late than never I guess.
And a much better grandstanding opportunity for the octogenarian swamp monster Feinstein.
No grandstanding against the tax bill or net neutrality, but for this ?
Ridiculous.
2
Please stop saying “The dossier was paid for by the Democrats” or at least state that the dossier was initiated and first funded by Republican donors who didnt want Trump as their nominee. You make it sound like a desperate attemt by the Dems to discredit Trump whereas in truth it was Republicans who desired to discredit Trump firstly. Sheeesh!
17
Honestly - Feinstein is heroic. Let us not forget that is was Dian Feinstein who TOOK ON THE CIA!! Remember folks? She has a history of challenging power when it is being misused (in this case GOP trying to discredit Russia investigation). The CIA tried to shut her down, hack her staff computers, control her when she was investigating the sanctioned and outsourced torture and black sites the CIA was using on the war in Iraq (remember the one we started based on Bush/Cheney falsehoods and we are still suffering from). She has a record of service to this country that shows a clear commitment of shining light in to the dark places, when the greater good of the country is put at risk by a poisoned use of power.
17
It's time for Feinstein's long overdue retirement.
2
John Galt - your comment sounds about right for Ayn Rand's kookie far-right protagonist in Atlas Shrugged.
The point here is that the person interviewed in the transcript was asking for it to be released, so there is no betrayal of confidentiality here, no possibility that Feinstein's action would intimidate other potential witnesses from testifying.
12
Oh, baloney! More likely it’s time for all the Ayn Rand acolytes and wannabes to get out of Washington.
6
What kind of traitor to America would object to learning the truth about Russia's interference in the US election? When did Republicans become the party of "I'll happily sell out my country if I get a little more power?"
8
Aquitaine rising. Move over, Henry. Let a lady drive this machine for a few miles, why won't you?
Sing us a courtly love story about this great lady, Troubadours.
16
Kudos Senator Feinstein for calling the Republicans' bluff. Further the American public deserves to see the transcripts of the many closed door hearings starting with Kushner's and Trump JR's. Why are we kept in the dark?
31
Thank you Senator Feinstein
Graham and Grassley should hand their heads in shame
33
And this is what a patriot looks like! Thank you Senator Feinstein.
40
The Times makes many statements in this article that are misleading.
It says according to Mr. Simpson there was a meeting but that thought is not mentioned in the next statement that at the meeting Mr. Steele learned that his information was considered credible.
We only know that according to Mr. Simpson that is what happenned. but because that isn't repeated it sounds like this is a proven fact.
Saying there was a source that Mr. Simpson used was a Australian diplomat
does not mean what Mr. Simpson said is factual..
First we don't have the identity of this diplomat and even if the diplomat said this to Mr. Simpson it is not known definitively if he was telling us the truth.
Saying there was extensive evidence linking Trump's associates to the Russian government implies that link was illegal and was linked somehow to the election.
We do not know that.
The article doesn't say it but most people will take it that way.
Saying it is believed to be known Senator McCain met with James Comely
means nothing.
What does believed to be known even means.
How can something be believed to be known.
It is known or not known.
If it is known then you have to tell us who knows it.
Someone please tell the Times to stop this double speech.
4
What's really incredible is that you believe that you, alone, are the only one capable of drawing these conclusions.
Truly awe-inspiring that an article that is explicitly about testimony given is, to you, a supposed laundry list of "implied facts," when nothing is presented to be as such. In fact, that there are several instances of commentary on the unsubstantiated nature of the claims, I have to think your comment is but an excellent example of the Dunning-Kruger Effect in action.
6
Read the testimony!!!
5
This article contains a few questionable assertions: the dossier being largely unsubstantiated, and that democrats paid for it. Both of these things aren’t accurate from both the paper’s own reporting and within the article itself. The dossier was initially commissioned by the Washington free beacon, not Democrats, who simply funded its completion, and this article itself says the dossier added to things, and contained info similar to intel the FBI received form trustworthy foreign governments. How did this slip through?
24
Along with its questionable assertions, the style of the article resembles a Fox News report. Here is an example; "a salacious and unsubstantiated dossier outlining a Russian effort to aid the Trump campaign...The circumstances of its release and the vivid picture it paints of Mr. Simpson’s operation and his chief Russia investigator, Christopher Steele, provided fresh ammunition to both sides of a growing fight over the dossier."
What concerns me most after the reading the testimony is how uninterested the Republican staffers were in the contents of Steele's report. They focused instead on the operation of Fusion GPS, which paved the way for Grassley and Graham's letter to DOJ.
It's time, past time, for testimony on Russian intrusion into the 2016 election be done in public and for previous testimony be made public.
11
Nick:
A few more questionable assertions:
1) Dossier was not initially commissioned by Washington Free Beacon. They hired Fusion, but dossier only came about after DNC (through its law firm) took over the research and at that point Fusion hired Steele (who compiled the dossier)
2) The dossier is largely unsubstantiated, despite the NYT "reporting" Some of the elements in the dossier took place, but many are just assertions that came from one of Steele's paid sources, many of whom were in Russia, where he did not travel as an ex-spy. If you pay a Russian source for dirt on DJT, what do you think you are likely to get?
“that produced a salacious and unsubstantiated dossier outlining a Russian effort to aid the Trump campaign.“
Key word here is “unsubstantiated”.
2
Which isn't true! The Times is wrong for saying so. MUCH of the dossier has, in fact, been substantiated.
8
As a dedicated reader of the NY Times, I now need an explanation from you for your FBI sourcing in the pre-election Russian article that caused Steele to stop communicating with the FBI. This is a huge story and shows that my beloved paper may have been used by the FBI or someone else to dupe the public about the FBIs knowledge about Trump and Russian. This is a huge story and I need an explanation from the paper.
27
Yes, the paper should reveal the source of that lie, because you do not protect a source who used the newspaper to print lying propaganda to sway an election.
I, too, would like to hear an explanation from the NYTimes. I am also a dedicated reader of the NYTimes, and I now question if it has been used by the FBI or some other party to dupe the public about the FBIs knowledge about Trump and Russian. This story too important to ignore, and I need an explanation from the paper. If no explanation is offered, I will cancel my subscription.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/09/us/politics/feinstein-fusion-gps-glen...
For all in California tacking a "Too Old To Serve" placard on Senator Feinstein's back; This is what the power of Seniority looks like.
34
Let's hear it for the fabulous Senator Feinstein.At long last someone is showing some moral backbone and wouldn't you know it is a democratic woman.Now would some one ask why Grassley and Graham have both done" one eighties"in their support of the genius in the White House.Is it perhaps the large amount of
russian dough they both banked??[along with ryan,mcconnell]Do the russians have something on every republican???thank you senator Feinstein.I had about given up hope.
28
Thank you Senator Feinstein!
25
I'm at a loss to understand why this article has so little information from the 10-hour testimony itself. It's mostly about the political controversy and the timeline of the FBI investigation.
Only last week Fusion GPS published its op-ed with provocative hints about their testimony. For example, why aren't we reading anything about the following? Is it true, false, irrelevant, or what?
"We told Congress that from Manhattan to Sunny Isles Beach, Fla., and from Toronto to Panama, we found widespread evidence that Mr. Trump and his organization had worked with a wide array of dubious Russians in arrangements that often raised questions about money laundering."
Since the Times didn't find this worth reporting about, I guess I'll have to search the document for "Sunny Isles" and see what they testified.
11
Thank you Senator Feinstein.
Its clear that the Republicans have gone rogue and are no longer guided by our Constitution or our nation's core values. They are doing great harm to our Republic and our institutions.
Appreciate your courageous actions here and those of colleagues that are exposing the lies and corruption of these rogue and shameless Republicans.
You all are keeping hope alive.
20
The transcript makes clear that Senator Grassley is a liar for claiming that Glenn Simpson was "unresponsive."
The trasncript shows that Senators Grassley and Graham are despicable for referring Christopher Steele to the DoJ.
The trasncript shows that Christopher Steele, a British citizen and former MI-6 Russian specialist, uncovered evidence of a possible crime and informed the FBI of that possible crime.
Grassley and Graham should both resign in disgrace. Anything to prop up the VERY STABLE GENIUS, right Senators?
37
This paper needs to report further on what's in the testimony. Don't focus on the political fight. The testimony describes the concerns of some very credible people that the president can be blackmailed and the Trump empire's ties to the Russian mafia. The mafia is described as an arm of the Russian government.
Please go deeper and quit it with the political side show.
30
I’m confused. How did the release provide “fresh ammunition to both sides of a growing fight over the dossier.” I save read nothing whatsoever that would back up the GOP’s assertions that the dossier was politically motivated. And why does the Times describe the dossier as paid for by Democrats when it was commissioned and funded for months by Republicans? Why no mention of the extensive testimony regarding Trump’s organized crime and money laundering connections? In its effort to appear fair and balanced, does the Times have its thumb on the scale?
26
She looks more and more like Nixon every day...
She?
A big waste of time and money there should be a retirement age for all our politicians Trump included. 80 would be a stretch.Feinstein is way to old so is Mc Cain and a whole bunch of others.
1
Yes, Sen. Feinstein did the right thing. But the NYTimes did the wrong thing. And it may have thrown the election to trump. Shame. Shame.
15
Grassley was cherry picking the info to release. Fienstein said let's get the whole picture. Apparently Grassley didn't get the inauguration memo from Trump about giving the government back to us, the people!e. Regardless of your political stance, you have appreciate the transparency here.
10
Ms. Feinstein, may I call you iron maiden? You again have my vote for this fall. Proud of you once again. In this time of fake "fakeness" , thank you for helping us to dig out of the tweeting mess of a childish , selfish , do anything for money & attention . When it will come to the Senate voting for conviction in 2019, I am sure your vote will be for Justice. Thank you! Justice in 2019!
14
Grassley and Graham should be investigated for obstruction of justice and lying to the American people.
23
"There is not a single fact in that report that has been proven to be incorrect..." -- U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein ,talking about the Steele Dossier
This begs the question, on what grounds does any reporter, including the reporter on this article have to describe the entire dossier as "unsubstantiated."
Is the reporter quoting someone? If so, that word needs to be in quotes.
If the reporter is not quoting someone, then and it is supposed to be a statement of fact, then there needs to be some justification in the article as to the use of that description.
16
How do you prove that an invented "fact" is incorrect?
Feinstein's double negative is purposeful. So is her syllogism that a fact cannot be incorrect. What is at issue is that many of the claims/allegations in the dossier are not "facts" they are claims/allegations made by unnamed 3rd parties who were paid for digging up information on Trump campaign. So the grounds that any reporter uses to label much of the dossier as "unsubstantiated" is that it is a fact. The allegations have not been substantiated (proven) so they are unsubstantiated.
Like the Pentagon Papers did in their time, this dossier will certainly make sleeping much harder for these grifters. And that’s good!!!!
12
How does Sen. Feinstein's release of the testimony "jeopardize" the committee's "ability to secure candid voluntary testimony," in the words of Mr. Grassley's spokesperson, when the person who was giving the testimony had specifically asked the committee to release it? That's just cynical, Mr. Grassley. Shame on you.
18
Dianne Feinstein - an American hero!!!
12
Well done Dianne Feinstein for at every turn Putin demonstrates that with little effort and investment on his part he has inserted a Fifth Column in the Republican Party. (If Trump has even ever heard of the Fifth Column he probably thinks they are people parading in front of the 5th Avenue Trump Tower to praise him for his "achievements"). The Russian mints must be working overtime striking medals to be awarded in due course to the "honorable" members of the Republican Party who unwittingly support his agenda. Jeanine Pirro and Tom Rooney, demanding the "purge" of the FBI, will be the proud recipients of the Lavrentiy Beria (artificer of the 1936 to 1938 Great Purge in the USSR) merit award and of course Fox "News" is bound to receive a gold bear plaque very soon.
Fortunately dedicated people in the service of the FBI, CIA, NSA and will never neglect their sworn duties, but operatives, whatever their country of allegiance, will become emboldened by the internal demeaning attacks on these very institutions who protect us and the U.S.
7
It has been shown over and over again that most of the statements in the dossier are true, so why does the first paragraph here say that it's "salacious and unsubstantiated?" Has "unsubstantiated" been redefined to mean "true?" I also don't understand how the transcript provides "ammunition for both sides," and then in the third paragraph tries to undermine Mr. Simpson's character, as in how he "sought to portray himself as an astute researcher." He probably portrayed himself as such because that's what he is. After all, he was under oath. Jeez, NY Times - get it together!
20
Thank you Senator Diane Feinstein, our "Braveheart" in The US Senate!
11
Thank you Senator!
10
Thank you Senator Feinstein and for NYT adding a link to this document.
8
Congratulations to Senator Feinstein for short-circuiting a Republican would be circus performance.
11
Thank you Senator Feinstein!
8
Alright, Diane! You rock! Nevertheless, she persisted!
9
The Times actually said
“that produced a salacious and unsubstantiated dossier outlining a Russian effort to aid the Trump campaign.”
Take a day and go see “The Paper.” This editorializing in the lede is ridiculous.
Our country is in jeopardy. Somehow you think this wording is balance. This is why we are at this moment. Much of the report is accurate. If the Times had covered Trump we would not be here.
Disgraceful.
21
Agreed. Once again the Times indulges in fake "balance" that fails to present the truth and aids those who are destroying the country. The first sentence is incredibly biased and demonstrably untrue if one reads the document.
Salacious??
This is the definition of salacious: (of writing, pictures, or talk) treating sexual matters in an indecent way and typically conveying undue interest in or enjoyment of the subject. "salacious stories" synonyms: pornographic, obscene, indecent, crude, lewd, vulgar, dirty, filthy; More
erotic, titillating, arousing, suggestive, sexy, risqué, ribald, smutty, bawdy;
X-rated; informalporn, porno, blue, XXX; euphemistic adult
Dianne Feinstein is a courageous hero. The Times is and has abandoned journalistic integrity.
•lustful; lecherous
Why does the NY Times state throughout this reporting on the dossier that it was paid for by Democrats, and not both Democrats and Republicans? That seems curious as it has been widely reported that Fusion was initially hired to look into Trump by Republican rivals?
14
This article at the bottom of the fold. Maybe by design. Interesting piece in Washington Post by Erik Wemple about Fusion GPS head Simpson questions NYT article reporting back in Sept, 2017 that there were no ties between Trump and Russia but this was after Steele met with NYT staff sharing his information to the press when he became concerned the FBI was not acting on his research. What is going on with the NYT? Why the downplay?
10
Thank you to Senator Dianne Feinstein for doing the right thing in releasing this transcript to the American people! After reading the Simpson transcript, it's obvious why the GOPs didn't want it released. Senators Grassley and Graham are down and dirty politicians; they need to stop discrediting Steele and Simpson now. Shame!
9
Republicans didn't ask questions about Russia or Trump's connection to the Mafia and other organized criminals. Why not? They were too busy trying to undermine the guy who took this to the FBI. Totally unAmerican.
8
“I think the most important thing is transparency, you need to know who's putting up what so when they start making deals in a year or two years or three years, you know what's happening.”
Donald Trump
You see, the Dems can work with Drumpf.
You go, girl!
4
Oh, snap. Grassley's snake tried to insinuate Simpson was biased by not having done opposition against Obama's administration, but he'd only helped get Obama's 2008 campaign manager fired while working for the WSJ.
Should have hired Fusion to vet your own nominee, RNC.
5
Good. It’s time these Republicans remember that they are there to do the people’s’ bidding, not their own. This isn’t a game where they play for their own benefit — this is the real world where they are supposed to make our civilization better. The GOP has failed America; it’s time to flush them down the toilet with all the other waste.
5
In releasing the transcript of Glen Simpson's interview with the Senate committee, Senator Feinstein acted in the public's interest. Thank you, Senator Feinstein.
Senators Grassley and Graham, in calling for an investigation of Steele as opposed to aggressively interviewing witnesses and following the information where it leads, acted in their own self-interest and/or that of Donald Trump. A cover-up is a cover-up is a cover-up. All those Republican senators and representatives and administration officials participating in iin any form of undermining/blocking/misdirecting of Mueller's investigation into whether there was collusion between Trump/his campaign staff and Russia in subverting our democratic elections should be investigated for obstruction of justice. Let the chips fall where they may.
12
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Senator Lindsey Graham sent a criminal referral letter to the FBI asserting that the committee has documents that prove Steele lied about his “distribution of information contained in the dossier.” The New York Times reported the two senators think Steele “lied to federal authorities about his contacts with reporters regarding information in a dossier.” Since the scope of the committee’s investigation includes collusion with Russia to influence the 2016 election, the suspicion that Steele fed information provided by Russian officials and intelligence operatives to the news media and then lied about it to federal authorities has obvious relevance.
Now let us see how much Russian money has infected Congress, and if this might be a reason for Republican resistance and obfuscation to these investigations into Trump's - and possibly their own collusion in the attack on the 2016 election.
17
Thank you Senator Feinstein for being a profile in courage; I use that word because her Republican colleagues on the Judiciary committee thought they could hide their deceit behind the 'rules' that only the majority could release such information.
And what information it is; not only refuting what Senators Grassley and Graham alleged but showing in the transcript of 10 hours of testimony that the dossier was not the instigator of any FBI investigation, but a supplement to the disturbing evidence of Russian meddling in our electoral process and, lets call it for what it is, more than a little circumstantial evidence of connections of this meddling both directly and indirectly to the Trump campaign.
They--Grassley and Graham--were fully aware of this yet they threw this red herring out there for Fox News and others to blow up and distort and distract. THEY are the ones that should be referred for criminal prosecution for their obstruction of trying to find out the truth; how deeply did Russian interference, and how deeply was the Trump campaign involved in this interference disrupt our democratic electoral process?
14
Well done Ms. Feinstein! To Mr. Grassley and Graham, your actions to refer charges to the Justice Dept against Mr. Steele is clearly an attempt to distract the public from the facts and seeks to punish a man who has demonstrated more integrity than either of you. At the end of the day, the only thing a person leaves this earth with is their reputation.
9
The New York Times can do better than describe the Steele dossier as "salacious and unproven." In fact, there has been much evidence to support Steele's account, as the FBI knew more than a year ago. Nothing has even been disproved. One would never know that from this article. So too, the "salacious" episode, which led to the possibility of Trump's vulnerability to blackmail, occupies only a small portion of Steele's first memo. And to call Steele "a former British spy" is inadequate and again paints a false picture. He was the head of Russian intelligence at MI6, probably the world's most esteemed intelligence service. Not exactly a nobody. He had worked with and for the FBI for years. In talking to the FBI on this occasion, Steele was reporting that he was witnessing a "crime in progress." There are no words sufficient to describe the infamy of Republicans in charging this Good Samaritan with some kind of criminal offense. It therefore behooves the Times to be scrupulous in its reporting, and not give in to Republican efforts to discredit Steele, Fusion GPS, or the investigation into Trump's connections and conduct.
20
In reading this morning’s story by reporters Fandos, Rosenberg, and LaFraniere, I was immediately struck by the false and dismissive cast of the article’s lead paragraph in which they characterize the Steele dossier as “salacious and unsubstantiated”. A small portion of this raw intelligence briefing may indeed be salacious, but unsubstantiated it is not.
The second paragraph continues in the same vein: “The interview, with Glenn R. Simpson of Fusion GPS, provided few revelatory details about the firm’s findings on the Russian election effort or on President Trump and his campaign.” Have these journalists bothered to read the transcript of the 10-hour proceeding? And would Senator Feinstein have broken Senate protocol in such an historic fashion to air a vacuous account of no particular import?
The entire article misses the point of a momentous event in our nation’s history — our Presidential election was effectively hacked by a foreign government on behalf of a single candidate, Donald Trump. Senator Feinstein recognized the extraordinary nature of the Steele dossier and the manner in which it was collected and disseminated. And in truly statesmanlike manner she made the courageous decision to take an unprecedented action to provide the American people with information and context the Republicans would rather we didn’t have. Something these journalists apparently couldn’t grasp.
19
Why is the FBI TELLING an "informant" that they are interviewing about their own (the FBIs) information and how they are getting it? Since when does law enforcement start embracing folks who are making allegations?
1
FBI did NOT tell Steele anything. He could read them as he was informing them, and that told him they were already on to you know who. He assumed they had an insider, but they had an Aussie who drank one under the table.
This is classic FBI. They often have their guy in sight for a long time, and as we discover him, we often clutter up what will become a slam dunk court case without all the drama.
1
Thank you, Dianne Feinstein, for bringing a ray of sanity to the total political mess concerning Russian election meddling. If only more politicians would share the truth with the public, as you did, our political lives would improve immeasurably.
8
Glenn Simpson stopped short of blaming The NYT for its October 2016 story which prompted Christopher Steele to break off his contacts with the FBI. Steele was upset and confused because he thought his work did not earn the credibility it deserved.
In retrospect we understand why the FBI under James Comey was reluctant to confirm if any "explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his top advisers, and the Russian government" although Slate and Mother Jones had published reliable stories suggesting such connections. FBI feared being accused of meddling, exerting influence on the American electorate - which didn't make sense in the case of Hillary Clinton's case. Should Trump lose, the FBI would have got the blame for his defeat, even if the public had the right to know.
10
Maybe FBI shined the NYT's reporter on with a go away, nothing to see here, which Steele took as the FBI's position. Russians aren't the only ones good at dissinformatiion. Yeah, we're just like, sitting around FBI eating a sandwich. Keep working that email gambit, Trump Org.
1
A side issue, but can anyone explain how the US government can investigate a British subject (Steele) for doing research in Russia? Does he even have to answer a subpoena?
21
Good question. I have wondered the same. I guess they can investigate anything they want, but as for answering a subpoena? Sounds like he shouldn't have to.
NO, he doesn't. Piers Morgan hid out in the US while Leveson was grilling the Brit's tabloid twits to perfection He did make a video appearance, but he was overshadowed by McMullen whose testimony was so hot, it burned through the floor and disappeared. Had to have seen the live feed, he told so much truth.
Good question and I've seen it posed in the media but I don't remember an answer. There's nothing definitive on the web. It seems ridiculous, however.
I am still at a loss as to Comey’s decision to throw the election to Trump. He knew the salacious findings against Trump when, weeks before the election, he cast needless doubt on Hilary. Then Trump fires him for disloyalty.
Will someone explain all this to me — particularly why the FBI felt compelled to involve itself so obviously in an election — against its intel?
33
The GOP's committees politicized the FBI with their relentless tries at muddying Hillary. Once Bill stepped onto Lynch's jet, Comey had no choice but to demonstrate his boss was not the one making the call. Once that pattern was established, he had to then respond to other demands for fairness he should never have had to consider. Case closed. Should have told Congress to go shelve themselves from the gitmo.
Good job, Senator Feinstien! A patriot on the Judiciary Committee after all.
Sens. Grassley and Graham (and many other Rs) have been acting lately as though they had been bewitched and were being mindlessly controlled by a some remote witch doctor. Their recent behavioral antics ought to be enormously embarrassing to them (if they could see themselves without the hex) and I hope are to their thinking constituents.
Attacking and suggesting criminal prosecution of a firm and a foreign contractor that performed actions that would have been been celebrated as patriotic or at least highly appreciated by our leaders (especially Republicans) any time over the last 70 years, at least up until the last 8 or 9 months ago, is simply crazy and nonsensical.
I have come to the conclusion that it isn't Trump who is our Manchurian Candidate. Any objective person can see that Putin and/or his oligarchs must have enough 'compromot' on Trump (and family) for them to be truly frightened of any potential exposure. (Funny, how Putin seems to be the only one exempt from the Trumpsky's twitter taunts.) No, they are actually acting fairly rationally for persons subject to blackmail for fraud or money laundering. You bully and distract.
No, our Manchurian Candidates are the Congressional Republicans who now, inexplicably, are fawning over Trump like he was the Second Coming and acting like zombies taken over by some unknown force. It must be something in the water they are drinking.
42
It appears more and more that many Republicans in Congress are also compromised in some fashion by Russian interests.
11
Trump gave them their tax cut. They haven't finished using their puppet president yet.
7
A much more interesting read than Fire and Fury.
15
Read it, but won't that. I've had enough of Trump fizzing on anyone's happiness.
Someone in the House needs to show similar courage and savvy as Senator Feinstein to go against House Intelligence Committee and especially go after Trump's puppet Nunez.
35
Nunes had no relationship with Trump who he nominally supported only after he, Trump, won the GOP nomination . Trump has never show any interest in blue California so there was no reason for Nunes to extend himself beyond a perfunctory endorsement.
But then Trump won, and out of "the blue" - excuse the pun - Nunes is appointed to the transition team. Huh?
With the Russian interference gaining traction threatening the GOP's rare and total control of the Federal government, Ryan suggested to Trump that Deven Nunes the GOP Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee , might be an important ally. A representative of marginal accomplishment and intelligence, Nunes was seduced by the attention. Once owned , he was compromised.
Trump and Ryan keep Nunes in line by making sure that EPA's Pruitt eliminate water and food safety regulations which cost the famers of Nunes' district in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California. Of course American consumers do not have the same protections of their food and water but Ryan will do anything to cut welfare, Medicare and Social Security. Trump couldn't pick out Fresno on a map but he'll do anything not to be indicted of money laundering and tax evasion.
2
Nunes, not Nunez. Portuguese, not Spanish.
Iowans... you have always been known as straight talking, sensible honest people. Perhaps you should reconsider your senatorial choice because he is becoming a politician in the Trump protecting mode. Lies are infectious and require other lies to cover them up. Chuck Grassley is not one to be proud of.
34
Who are these Iowans you speak of?
It is about time........no, it is past time for Congress to allow citizens to know what is going on in our elected-officials-world. How else can we add our voices to our own government? The elected "elite" never wants us "unwashed" to really know what they are doing. Way To Go, Ms. Feinstein!
23
Yes and the only people who are willing to do it are the democrats. It's still part of Russia 201. Divide the country. Kill the institutions (easy when people are quitting in droves now). Kill any semblance of a democratic republic. Don't answer to "the people." This glared in my face with the lack and, therefore, killing off of Puerto Rico - one less huge payment coming out of the oligarchs and republicans cold hands.
1
Senator Grassley and Senator Graham, are you paying attention?
Senator Feinstein is showing you what moral courage looks like.
As we watch the Republican members of Congress show only cowardice, how refreshing to see this strong, independent woman show all of us what a patriotic American looks like.
38
Of course the NY Times comment section has people applauding Feinstein.
It's a very peculiar thing to think is correct. The problem with all this stuff is, as like Harry Reid and the nuclear option, when you set precedent's that you know will be welcome by your base, you end up subverting the laws and ultimately your party.
Do the right thing and not just focus on which political party it hurts or helps now. Releasing confidential testimony in mid-investigation just became acceptable. And anyone on this thread who objects when HIllary's accusers get coverage where they shouldnt need remember how you couldn't break from the party to protect the party.
4
No. This shouldn’t be seen a political tit for tat. Rather it should be applauded for what it is - transparency. The GOP has had access to this testimony for months, and yet, Graham, Grassley and the rest of the sycophants are trying to discredit rather than respond appropriately to what has been revealed.
That’s for more problematic then any other issue you raise. Infinitely so.
7
And you understand that Grassley and fellow Republicans were already leaking classified portions of the testimony right? Specifically, they were releasing selectively and with obvious intent to deceive. Feinstein simply opened it all up so the American people could judge the content - unfiltered by the mouthpiece of a compromised president.
7
You do not have the knowledge to assert it will hurt the investigation. Its pretty clear that grassley was/is trying to subvert the investigation. Remember how he said he would release it? Then changed his tune....have an answer for that?
5
This throws much light on the case. The Republican claims in this regard have all been lies. One more nail in the Trump/Republican coffin.
22
The republicans have not one once of integrity left in their hollow souls. For Foy to state the documents release by Feinstein "...undermines the integrity of the committee’s oversight work and jeopardizes its ability to secure candid voluntary testimony...” is nothing but more tragic comedic verbal nonsense from the right.
In time, the truth will always reveal itself.
15
I am dumbfounded at the Time’s statement that the transcript “provided few revelatory details about the firm’s findings on the Russian election effort or on President Trump and his campaign.” It does the opposite. It shows conclusively that Senators Grassley and Graham, using the Big Lie, were engaged in a campaign to deliberately smear Cristopher Steele for daring to tell the truth about what he had discovered about Trump and the Russians. The two in recent days had called for the Justice Department to launch an investigation of Steele, on the basis that he was the chief agent of a partisan political campaign to smear Trump. They did this, knowing that Simpson’s testimony clearly showed multiple sources were raising the alarm about the Trump campaign’s ties to the Russians.
Two United States Senators told a whopping lie in an attempt to turn a whistleblower into the criminal, for the purpose of protecting the Donald Trump who has made 2,000 false or misleading statements since becoming President. Grassley and Graham have become leading disciples of the Republican juggernaut aimed at making lying a way of life in American politics.
Grassley and Graham’s campaign of lies and slander demonstrates the extent to which the Republican Party has become a morally and intellectually corrupt burnt-out case. After one year, we have the proof: the morally repugnant and intellectually challenged Donald Trump represents the heart and soul of the Republican Party.
54
When oh when will some newspaper take the “dossier” and tell us which of the 35 points have been substantiated and which have not? Since the dossier has been in the public sphere for months, surely this can now be addressed.
Kudos to Smith and Feinstein for keeping the American public informed.
15
I feel as though I can breathe again. Thank you, Senator Feinstein, thank you.
12
And NOW, the Dems don't have to bow to Trump just to save the Dreamers from his divisive razor play. Judge says...Obama's actions were not illegal. Uh oh, does that mean Trump can follow his executive lead?
I am sick of being lied to, finally, more truth is being revealed about trump. I feel like I can take a deep breath today, maybe, just maybe we will learn alot more and start to feel good about the state of our country.
10
Memo to all Republicans:
The Oath of Office is to the Constitution.
Not the President. Not the GOP.
And you are employed by the American people.
Not corporations.
Your next performance review will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.
34
If they keep colluding to obstruct justice, it might be in front of a grand jury a lot sooner than November. We can hope.
3
Many Republicans have very lucrative positions or golden parachutes waiting for them if they are oiusted, so they don't really care.
1
PS
Start packing. Congresswoman McSally took the alley for Flake's seat, but now she's getting primaried by none other than Sheriff Joe. Uh oh. Republican shoot out at the OK With Me Corral.
1
Thank you Senator Feinstein for your courage and loyalty to the Country for releasing these transcripts. By doing so. the good Senator has exposed the lies and the despicable falsehoods being spun against Mr. Steele who was being a true friend to the US, by giving the dangerous information to the FBI. Also they were already doing a smear campaign on Fusion GPS. They took on a legitimate investigation, like many others they had done. The underhanded and deceitful way Grassley was running this, trying to keep Trump safe from his past and being exposed to the public is in a word sickening!
10
Shame on Lindsey Graham and Chuck Grassley for trying to blackmail Christopher Steel into silence with their criminal referral.
Thank you Diane Feinstein for allowing we the people see the transcript that will let us protect our elections. Now let's investigate the allegations in the "dossier" - and not with another fake investigation.
Maybe Senator Feinstein was influenced by the actions of Senator Mike Gravell releasing the Pentagon Papers - exposing the coverup of the Vietnam War.
Thank you Senator Diane Feinstein!!!!
19
Just finished reading the transcript. Quick impressions:
Christopher Steele deserves a medal.
Voters in Iowa and South Carolina should decide that pathetic shills Grassley and Graham should “spend more time with their families” if they’re not charged with obstructing justice.
And Sen. Feinstein might have just saved our Republic.
32
How is this not one of the major headlines on the web site, with a story detailing the testimony and its implications? This is a big deal. I assume that someone is working on a comprehensive report?
15
I had the exact same reaction. The story was not front and center as it should have been and reads as though the Times is bending over backwards to give GOP cover on their horrific actions.
Thank you Senator Feinstein for once again exposing Republican partisanship uber alles. We need fresh air, and you have supplied it in copious amounts.
6
I applaud the courage and conviction of Senator Feinstein, for releasing these transcripts to the public despite the protestations of her unscrupulous republican peers. It seems we have another example of a woman, standing up for what is right and speaking truth, at a time it is desperately needed.
15
Thank you Senator Feinstein!
The Democrats’ spine is finally strengthening. Keep it up! Our lives and future depend on it.
12
I'm incredibly proud that Senator Diane Feinstein represents my home state of California and that she felt that sunshine was needed on the Russian inquiry. We American's deserve to evaluate the transcripts for ourselves.
8
So, am I. Thank you, my senator.
1
The dossier is 312 pages long. I started reading it, and after thirty pages, it is obvious that Grassley et al began the questioning with particular answers in mind. They are on a fishing expedition for these answers and keep asking the same questions in various ways, trying to get the answers they have predetermined for themselves.
It's also clear that Grassley is very disappointed by the utter ordinariness of GPS Fusion's replies, as well as its very normal business practices and recordkeeping. Will keep plugging along -- still waiting for some breathtaking revelation -- but doubting very much that there will be one.
7
Every now and then a member of Congress tries on the cloak of a patriot to see if its a comfortable fit. For Sen. Feinstein, it adds the glow of love for country much like it did for her predecessors Sam Ervin and Howard Baker, two Watergate heroes. None of these hearings should have been secret to begin with and the good woman from California displayed a dedication to truth by unveiling the transcript which the witness had publicly requested. Secrecy and darkness provide havens for tyrants and traitors. Bright sunshine nourishes truth and the inevitable consequences awaiting dishonorable politicians. Good men and women who love America should read the Steele Dossier and the released transcript.
13
Steele , a British citizen , cared more about our country and our Democracy in reporting to the FBI his concerns than Grassley and Graham who instead of looking to prevent future attacks on our Democracy by taking action against Russian , sought to take criminal action against a person who had our bests interests at heart.
Grassley and Graham should support our country over their partisan interests.
In addition I am tired of paying Grassley an agricultural subsidy each year.
21
It takes guts to do the right thing! Dianne Feinstein just made herself the reason why it is so important to vote.
No more can we allow sleeze win elections. She is proof why we need people who really do believe in a free democracy, understand what a free democracy is, and have the courage to stand up to make a free democracy exist.
7
If the Clinton campaign paid for the dossier why didn't they read from it every day of September, October and November before the election? It surely could have helped the Clinton campaign.
Either they did not have the information or the FBI insisted they keep it quiet due to the on-going investigation. Either way, we-the-people had a right to know about it. The FBI seems more interested in protecting it's sources and methods than in protecting America.
3
Bravo Dianne. Finally. For decades Feinstein has been a great disappointment to progressives, especially on issues like warrantless wiretaps starting in the Bush Administration. She has always been a cautious play-by-the rules Senator. However, Mitch McConnell blew up the Senate's normal respect for their rules and the Constitution when he and his fellow Republicans blocked President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. Grassley and Graham's cynical criminal referral of Steele last week (who reported his findings to the FBI, while Trump's cronies all failed to report Russian overtures) surely convinced her that all Republicans are now eager to bury the Russia investigation, and are willing to play a nasty game of hardball to suppress it.
She had to release the testimony to let the truth be known. The Republicans can not sustain their false narrative now that it has been released.
Thank you Senator Feinstein. My question is whether Grassley and Graham have exposed themselves to obstruction of justice charges due to their shenanigans.
6
Fascinating testimony. Why were the republicans trying to hide this from the American people? It confirms what I thought; Christopher Steele is being trolled by Republicans because they want to smear him and make Americans doubt the truth of what occurred. These republicans need to be investigated for Obstruction of Justice.
11
In their wisdom the Founding Fathers framed this country based on a separation of powers, not the accumulation of it into the hands of the few.
After the Trump election, I felt quite deeply that the country had been lost. And that those who seek power only for powers sake were so entrenched that we had passed the point of no return.
Today that changed.
While I am still dubious of our chances, I must admit that, even at my age, I can still be completely surprised by other peoples courage, decency, and strength of character.
When I was younger I used to say that in the end, Good will always triumph over Evil because it's harder to be Good. It takes effort. It takes persistence. You have to struggle and fight for it. All Evil requires is for you to let go. It has a gravity all it's own.
As I got older and experienced more of the world I began to doubt. I felt the equation might have changed. I wondered if it was still true. Had the better angels of our nature abandoned us to the dark?
But, as human history has so often shown, it is indeed in our darkest hour that the greatest among us show us the way out. The way forward.
They remind us through their words and actions what it means to be "of the light". Human in the best sense. And it lies in their compassion. Their caring. Their empathy. Their strength. Their truth. And most importantly - in their humanity.
Our humanity is the most profound example we have of our ability to not only endure, but to triumph.
7
When DiFi announced she will run for re-election to the Senate, many Californians groaned about her conservative tendencies and old school politics.
This act may not be unconnected to that effort. She is a very good politician.
I predict she wins big.
2
Time for the Democrats to do whatever is necessary to preserve our democracy. The Republicans surely won't, if their current actions are any indication.
3
Bravo to Senator Dianne Feinstein! She stands on the side of truth to the American people, and our country's democracy. Thank you for being my Senator!
2
Thank you Senator Feinstein. Finally, an elected official walking the talk and speaking truth to power.
4
Having read the entire transcript here, it is clear why a Senator who seeks the truth would have it released. However, it is a shame and evidence of our political division, that it was not released by both leaders of the Committee.
6
I guess I'm voting for Feinstein in this upcoming election cycle. I am glad that she made public these documents. Defying Republican colleagues? That's a daily necessity for a Democratic Senator.
4
It sounds like Senator John Kennedy R Louisiana is not playing with some of the other nonsense with the Republicans of this Judiciary Committee. He said he didn’t have a problem with Sen. Feinstein releasing the transcripts. He said he believes the truth needs to be told and the FBI and Justice allowed to do their jobs. He was also the same one that stopped Don McGann’s appointments of unqualified appointments to the Federal Bench.
3
The transcript of interview with dossier firm "provided fresh ammunition for both sides". No. The Republicans are peddling a narrative that the Russian dossier was done unethically when in fact multiple overseas intelligence agencies, in addition to the highly regarded Christopher Steele, warned the U.S. in 2016 that Trump and his Russian associates were up to no good.
These same folks are attempting to discredit the whole dossier based on one salacious detail of no real consequence to distract from the emerging facts of Russian intersections with Donald Trump, his family, and his campaign.
This both sides are equal reporting style whether or not disinformation is being propagated reminds me of the epic failure of the press pre-election to really report and get to the bottom of Trump's multiple duplicitous overseas conflicts of interests while hammering incessantly on Clinton's email failures.
9
Thank you Dianne Feinstein! Now that we know what's in the transcript, Mr Grassley and Mr Graham have much explaining to do. Why would they go after Mr. Steele, looking for ways to criminally charge him, when it's obvious that Mr Steele was trying to prevent a crime? What are Grassley, Graham and other republicans trying to protect? Certainly not the truth!
5
Although on balance I’d still like to see a new face representing me in the Senate in 2019, Ms. Feinstein may have secured her re-election this November with today’s move. Bravo Senator.
“The American people deserve the opportunity to see what he said and judge for themselves,” she said. “The innuendo and misinformation circulating about the transcript are part of a deeply troubling effort to undermine the investigation into potential collusion and obstruction of justice. The only way to set the record straight is to make the transcript public." --Sen. Feinstein
What is it that Grassley and Graham are so afraid of that they resort to legal threats to silence witnesses and evidence-givers?
What sort of state does THAT sort of thng?
(Hint: NOT an admirable one but certainly one like Russia)
1
It's well worth taking the time to read the transcript of Simpson's testimony to Congress.
Thank you Dianne Feinstein!
2
I’m not a Democrat, but Feinstein has always been fair. She’s a good senator. I hope DeLeon’s challenge in California doesn’t swing her to the crony wing of her party and that this action is genuinely needed rather than to score points with the populist outraged victim fringe rhetoric of the Junior senator.
There is so much that is alarming in Simpson's testimony but learning that Steele shared his findings with the FBI in July only for the FBI to secret this information away and keep it from the American public prior to the election while at the same time publicly disclosing Clinton's email investigation, which didn't warrant charges---mind blowing. And that the GOP continues to deny the mounting evidence of Russian interference in the election and beyond just further amplifies the question of how many treasonous conspirators operate in their ranks. It's looking pretty grim.
7
We've never been more proud of Dianne Feinstein then we are today. It's time for the people of America to stand up for what's right for the country, not the party. Thank you Dianne!
1
Thank you Honorable Senator Diane Feinstein. It's high time to place our country first, and place partisan politics last! The Truth and a Free Press are our constitutional rights in America. Lest we forget.
3
I was curious as to why so many republican congress members were getting out. And why repubs who were critical of him now seem to be elated at his presence. It all makes sense now. They all knew about the dossier, the transcripts, the corruption, the money laundering, the obstruction of justice. All of it. If I were a repub congress member and had an ounce of integrity left, I'd be getting out too. And I suppose if I didn't have any integrity left, I'd be taking the bribes from Trump too; in the name of the republican party of course.
1
The whole country owes thanks and gratitude to the fine senator from California.
I believe the Republicans expect that we don't care or won't learn about the prevarication, deceit, lies and devious behavior in which they are engaged.
Surely the GOP knows that nothing inspires vengeance more than the love of our American democracy. We will remember for many, many years to come and the Republican party will suffer the consequences of its many vile attempts to promote private interests over county.
Senator Feinstein displayed a trait we see too rarely in Democrats: BOLDNESS IN LEADERSHIP. Hopefully, she has set an example for other Democrats to do the same.
1
Hurray for Senator Feinstein. She did this afternoon what every Democratic and Independent member of Congress should be doing every day -- expose the lies, wrong information, the harmful bills and policies put forth by Trump and the Congressional Republicans. Democrats should do their jobs -- propose amendments to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, bills for fair immigration reform, proposals for strengthening our education systems, combating climate change, creating modern job -- in short, showing Americans real alternatives, the possibilities that a vigorous government can create to help shape better lives for all Americans. And -- they should hire Christopher Steele to educate Congress on what treason may look like.
2
I'd like the Times to give this article a bit more visibility - perhaps not quite as much as last year's above-the-fold-with-pictures articles announcing Comey's "re-opening" of the case of Clinton's emails, but perhaps as much as the Oct. 31, 2016 piece proclaiming "no links" between the Trump campaign and Russia.
I think it's rather important for the American people to know that Fusion was investigating Mr. Trump's financial ties to Russian mobsters. It's the kind of information about our Presidents that would have been considered extremely serious, at least until last year.
11
Thank you Senator Feinstein! This testimony should have been available to the public a long time ago. The republicans seem to be trying to keep the truth from the public and make up fake noise to try to punish those who want to tell America the truth. Treasonous?
1
Senator Feinstein has enormous credibility and integrity and I'm glad to see her exercising her full prerogatives as a U.S. senator to right the course of these congressional investigations, which are going off the rails. Wouldn't it be nice, Republicans seem to be thinking, if we could just get rid of this Russia investigation and maybe even put it on Hillary and even the DOJ? What if, I've been thinking, even the Mueller investigation is tainted? He's operating so quietly and Flynn's plea was so light. After all, Mueller is a Republican, and the FBI really didn't give these early reports of possible blackmailing and collusion any weight compared to Hillary's emails...
1
The transcript shows that Republicans have been quite thorough in exploring the credibiliity of Fusion GPS and Steele.
Now it is time for them to be equally diligent about defending the. country against Russian interference.
T
4
Good for Sen. Dianne Feinstein. If we've learned anything, it is that playing nice doesn't work with Trump and his Republican thugs.
113
In the treacherous Congress hell-bent on blaming victims, it was fast become evident that Republicans would close ranks around the devil himself if it served their kleptocratic agenda.
I was so very thankful that Dianne Feinstein had the courage to stop this nonsense. I don't want to hear another word from progressives about how she's not good enough.
She *is* good enough for all of us, thankfully. It's easy to be an armchair critic, but this may have saved us from the pogrom that was in the works for anything pointing out that the emperor has no clothes. (Perhaps I insult the clothless emperor, this one is not so innocent.)
158
That was a strawman argument.
Fact Check!
The Fusion GPS report wasn't just paid for by Democrats as the first few paragraphs of this article states. It was first commissioned and paid for by a prominent Republican donor. Only when he dropped his interest in investigating Trump did a law firm that worked with the DNC and the Clinton campaign take on its sponsorship. Frankly, this makes the report a bipartisan effort. Nonetheless, the process was commenced by a Republican.
225
Thanks for pointing this out. Why does the NY Times leave out the role of major Republican donor, billionaire Paul A. Singer who paid for the research initially?
98
Thanks for writing your comments. I too was dismayed that the Times article portrayed the dossier as being payed for only by Democrats.
5
Because they are biased? Calling the dossier "salacious and unsubstantiated" also indicates bias. Question is why?
Congratulations Diane Feinstein for doing the right thing and the moral thing! The attempt by Grassley to hide information from the American public is reminiscent of the Vietnam era. Having just watched the excellent PBS series on this period, I am struck by how we don't seem to learn our history. Cover-ups don't work. History will judge this Republican Congress and President very harshly if it continues to employ the same tactics that were used in Vietnam and Watergate in the 1970s. We need to remind ourselves constantly of the Constitution and the reasons our founders established separate branches of government and a separation of power.
151
Thank you, Senator Feinstein! The American people should be able to read the complete transcript for themselves. Any citizens who honestly desire to know the whole truth we should have access to what was promised: the actual unvarnished factual material from that testimony rather than the piecemeal, biased, political fodder we’ve been exposed to of late. Unfortunately, there seem to be far too few elected officials in Congress that are currently willing to display your desired movement toward clarity in this judicial review. Instead, we’ve witnessed committee members who’ve worked to obstruct and, if at all possible, to completely obliterate truth altogether.
109
Grassley's spokesperson said, “Her action undermines the integrity of the committee’s oversight work and jeopardizes its ability to secure candid voluntary testimony.” Hah. There is no Republican endeavor these days that can be used in the same sentence as "integrity." And Grassley has a lot of gall to talk about discouraging testimony when he has refused to call multiple relevant witnesses to testify.
215
Apparently integrity is defined by launching a phony criminal investigation of someone you know to be honest (Steele), and hiding critical info from the American public. That would be the Republican idea of integrity.
3
Moreover, Fusion wanted their testimony made public.
4
Senator Feinstein showing there are still decent, law-abiding politicians with integrity willing to choose Country over Party.
And they're not Republican.
210
when people read the full contents of this dossier, it will become abundantly clear the entire objective of low-lifes like Sen. Grassley and Republicans on this committee was to obfuscate, mislead, and take the focus of the Trump 2015-2016 campaign staff to engage with Russian operatives. And Americans, especially the people of Iowa, should be OUTRAGED to have such a senior senator engage in such partisan egregious conduct to protect POTUS Trump.
Follow the time line extremely close, note what Steele reveals, and what was already known by the FBI, when it was understood or under investigation, and what the motives could possibly be for Senators like Grassley and Representatives like Devin Nunes to deliberately throw resistance.
The more that emerges in the coming weeks, the more Americans will see POTUS Trump not only as a self-serving grafter and con artist whose number one priority is to line is own pockets, but that there will be linkages to organized criminal syndicates in Russia whose ties go back a long way to fund Trump Enterprises.
171
While collusion may at some point be identified, there seems to be enough financial smoke to locate a fire: that Trump's Russian connections are multiple and criminal seems undeniable. The transcript is full of leads that need to be followed up on, while showing that much investigative work can be done using public sources. It seems clear the place to start is with Trump's tax returns. The demand for their release is the duty of every Congressperson fit to serve.
124
Those tax returns have not been released to the public but that doesn't mean Congress and the FBI do not have access to them.
I believe they do and if there was any proof of anything illegal had happenned in them in them it would have lead to Trump being charged with some crime.
Since that hasn't happenned I assume it does not contain the information you are looking for.
I think she had no choice, since republicans were trying to smear this man and make it seem like a setup. If people stopped playing sides and spoke truth to power, people and the law, we would be in a much better place. Put your party to the side and do what is right for the country.
125
Thank you Senator Feinstein for releasing the Fusion GPS transcript. I read it.
It confirms numerous news reports that Felix Sater, Donald Trump, Paul Manafort and the Trump campaign worked with Russia to win the election and to lift the sanctions imposed by President Obama. It seems that most of the questioning of the Republican attorney was to try to discredit Steele and Simpson. The Republican leadership in the House and Senate have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that they are ok with TREASON against our country. Shame on them!
186
And a woman shall lead them. I am joining in the chorus of appreciation here to Senator Feinstein for acting in the interests of the American people and acting conscientiously to help preserve an independent, democratic, constitutional and transparent government.
I am also taking the opportunity to utilize The NY Times to express my thanks in order that my inbox not be flooded with requests to sign letters of gratitude and while I am at it, to chip in $5 or whatever I can afford to do whatever it is they do with my money. I know the messages and requests will be there anyhow, but I will feel less guilty when I delete them since I have already said "Thank you, Senator Feinstein."
52
Interesting information in the transcript about Trump's relationship with Felix Sater, funding of Trump Soho and financial situation with other Trump properties. Trump sure does surround himself with quality folks, Sater, Bannon, Scaramucci, the hits go on and on.
63
The Sater connection has been reported in the press for YEARS.
It was covered in detail in 2016, during the presidential election campaign.
Sater even carried a business card that said he was a consultant to the Trump Organization.
Dianne Feinstein waited about 20 years to push back. A little late.
10
Maybe waited too long, but good things come to those who wait.
Wrong! Her timing was pitch perfect...
1
baloney. period. she never called herself a democratic socialist. she ran and has served as a centrist.
1
The Republican party demonstrates, repeatedly, they are not trustworthy....and act to prop up and perpetuate corruption, illegality, and election fraud.
The GOP ought to be criminally sanctioned.
71
And, this information BELONGS TO US, THE PEOPLE!
73
“Her action ... jeopardizes its ability to secure candid voluntary testimony,” the spokesman, Taylor Foy, said.
That's entirely a misrepresentation. Fusion _asked_ for their transcript to be released!
104
Misrepresentation. We should call it what it is - a lie. This is how the GOP sells their "alternative facts" - by knowing most people don't bother to fact check.
2
Thank you Senator Feinstein!
66
Thank you Senator Feinstein. The GOP should stop with the smoke screen and distraction. An innocent man would say, "Let the investigations proceed" but Trump tries to tamp down the investigation as you would expect a guilty person to do. Well, the GOP in congress are doing the same thing because they know he is guilty of something. They try to tamp down the true investigation because they know he is guilty and they know the truth coming out will hurt their chances of remaining the fascist oppressors. It's the inevitable outcome of their tie to the racist south. Trump stirs that caldron of evil better than any witch the GOP has.
46
Have finally read the entire thing by 8:15 PM tonight. This cloak-and-dagger tome certainly overshadows the sordid little tempest in a teapot about the "Fire and Fury" book.
But I have to say that the NYT has egg on its face for being played by the FBI source - likely a Giuliani minion - leading to the 10/31/16 "Halloween surprise" article clearing Trump of any Russia involvement.
68
Thank you, Senator Feinstein! That was a very courageous - and patriotic - thing to do!
73
‘A real Halloween special’: Fusion GPS co-founder questions New York Times report on Trump-Russia
"...As of Tuesday afternoon, there’s a competing version of events on the official record — namely, that the newspaper (New York Times) or the FBI more broadly was being manipulated by pro-Trump interests...."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2018/01/09/a-real-ha...
36
Go Dianne! Show us how it's done! When I'm 84, can I be like you?
69
Kudos to Dianne Feinstein for pushing back against Senator Charles Grassley, who is determined to sabotage the Trump-Russian investigation.
89
Well played Senator Feinstein. The GOP enablers of this farce need to be called out...
74
Thank you Senator Feinstein!
40
The Resistance is aghast when fake news comes up... yet it bases the claims of Russian collusion on an unverified dossier funded by Democrats. Sad!
5
It was initially funded by a Republican outfit. Sad!
39
Funded by Republicans first.
51
Funded first by Republicans (Rubio) and then Democrats. Most of the dossier corroborated things that the FBI had already determined from other sources. Questions?
54
Senator Feinstein in the latter part of her career has done for the USA two important things.
First she documented the CIA torture of suspects and now she released the testimony of Mr Simpson showing that Mr Steele was conscious bound to tell the FBI that Trump could be blackmailed by Russia.
Thank you.
78
Further proof of the stone wall that the Republicans are putting up to protect our inept, mendacious, socially unacceptable president.
Grassley and Simpson both have thrown their lots into the GOP protectionist camp. It's like they discovered a pyromaniac who burned a thousand acres of virgin forest, and now want to arrest the CEO of the company that made the matches.
31
I'm concerned the GOP is also dirtied by laundered Russian money. Wait until the SuperPACs spit up their last cycle's sources. Seems a few who most told "no" only few rotations ago were welcome to contribute to GOP causes this time around the weasels.
1
Do you mean Grassley and Graham?
1
Glad to see the light shining on this. Once a thing is defined, we can move on it, and the responsible parties can't lie and whine to change it to avoid responsibility for it.
16
Another proud California moment! Vive la resistance!
55
Dianne Feinstein voted for the Iraq War ... she a worthless senator.
7
We all contain multitudes. None of us has shining moments flashing constantly.
Yes, like Steve said, she should have been pushing back for the past 20 yrs. Perhaps had she, and others followed we wouldn't be in the mess.
THANK YOU, SENATOR.
28
Thank you Sen. Feinstein for doing what the gutless, complicitous Republican head of the Judiciary committee, Chuck Grassley and by extension the entire republican party would not do. Regardless of what the transcripts may say, the Democrat delivered what the republicans wanted to suppress.! Lets hope that the Democrats can keep shedding light on this disgraceful administration and in the end let us see an end to it.
38
Why is this important information in the middle of a side column, well below frivolous, relatively, "news" ?
32
She persisted.
55
Why no note that Simpson testified that the now infamous NYT story of Oct. 31, saying there was no ties between Trump and the Russians, led Steele to break off contact with the FBI after the article made Steele feel “concern about what was going on at the FBI.”
Simpson called that Times story a "real Halloween special.”
That's not worthy of note in the NYT?
35
Apparently not. But it may be worth some cancelled subscriptions.
1
BRAVO!
29
Thank you Senator Feinstein!
Finally, a Democrat with a spine. With one swift move, you've exposed Chuck Grassley as a phony American.
Thank you again.
47
"Mr. Steele believed that his investigation had unearthed “a security issue about whether a presidential candidate was being blackmailed,” Mr. Simpson told the committee."
And for that, Graham ($800K from Russian-American in 2016 when he wasn't even running for office) and Grassley (nice pic with another Russian oligarch and you at dinner, Chuck) want to investigate... Steele?
It's not the fact that these two senators are so stupid that irks me, it's the fact that they think we're so stupid.
92
Republicans always think that if they say something people will believe it. The sad truth is that, judging by how many voters vote Republican against their own self-interest, they are often right.
Well done, Senator Feinstein. Very heartened to see you beat them at their own game. I've had it with these vile congressional Republicans and their loathsome leader who make a grotesque travesty of our government.
38
I’ve read 150 pages so far.
The Republicans sure invested a lot of effort in trying to make e Steele Dossier political hit job. Only to fail.
Why not invest some effort in finding ways to defend against Russsian. Meddling?
35
After the NYT published an article saying the agency found little evidence of ties between Trump and Russia, Mr. Simpson said that Steele decided to cut off further communication with the FBI because he thought there was something strange going on, that it seemed to have been politicized. Didn't Comey state that if his actions influenced the outcome of the election it would give him a tummy ache? Maybe it's a bleeding ulcer.
As for those who had any doubts about the elder stateswoman, age has it's merits doesn't it kids. Is there a Democrat silly enough to think they have a chance to beat her?
26
And Feinstein's reelection campaign has now begun. This will go over VERY well with California voters.
27
Hope so!
1
About time. I'm so sick of the double standards. Republicans have been jettisoning the norms upon which (conventional wisdom assumes) our country's long-term stability depends in pursuit of a political agenda that itself hastens our demise, and they've been extremely successful. Meanwhile, Democrats are still trying to be the adults in the room. In other words, Democratic politicians are worried about fifty years from now when they should be worried about five years from now. Time to be just as ruthless as Republicans. Smart but ruthless.
27
Democrats become ruthless? Ha! In the past decades the Democrats have shown themselves to be chumps and wimps, letting the Reps steal two or three presidential elections by fraud, voter suppression and gerrymandering--without a peep. Dudes, there is only one life for US--get a spine and fight.
Thank you Senator Feinstein. Democracy dies in darkness, as they say.
35
I just read the transcript. It's disgraceful and alarming that Senator Grassley could read this and his response is to pursue criminal charges against Christopher Steele. How ethically bankrupt can he be.
The transcript is full of alarming information about Trump and Russia. It's incredibly unsettling. What a pathetic excuse for a senator Grassley is. But Senator Feinstein -- thank you!
81
I'm a Democrat supporter, at least I was until they were led by the weak wimps, and I don't like Feinstein because she fully supported spying on we Americans by the Federal Government in her legislative actions. I hope her release of the transcript is the start of acts of contrition to show her new support for the American people and our right to privacy. Government secrecy is making it a target by their choice. We need even more candid reports.
8
Am I just tripping or is there something weird about the content of the transcript, such that titles or headers or something are mixed in with the text? It's making it hard to follow.
1
I could read it easily, so maybe you need to update something? Watch out for fake support cites!
The FBI needs to disclose to the public the details of their investigation including Rome meetings with Christopher Steele and disclosures from Trump campaign insiders and why this information was kept secret from the public while, at the same time, they were publicly chastising HRC and disclosing their scouring of HRC's emails in Anthony Weiner's computer. The behavior of the FBI is at the root of this controversy and why we are still trying to determine what really happened.
17
Thank you, Dianne!
Readers, if you have the time, read the transcript. I you don't have the time, make the time.
19
good for Feinstein. We need to start seeing more of this information. Transparency is totally lacking in a democratic nation. We are getting the kind of coverup that one would expect in RUSSIA. Assuming there are no national secrets involved let's make this a regular procedure. the GOPEE needs to get off the pot and make more available.
18
Thank God for Dianne Feinstein! The Republicans are not slowing down the effort to lie to the American people and spin their ridiculous theories. It is clear they will do anything to hold on to power they don't legitimately have.
All the other Democrats need to grow a spine and get on her level!
29
Go DiFi! We support you!
13
Feinstein was very fine to do this.
It is said that courage is contagious. Let’s hope so.
20
Really the finest and strongest voice we have on Capitol Hill IMHO
I shudder to think of the day Senator Feinstein retires.
17
Any reporter who today describes the Steele dossier as "salacious and unsubstantiated" is not worth his salt as a journalist. Steele's 32-page memo has been overwhelmingly substantiated by the U.S. Intelligence Community in its key assertion of Russian meddling in our Presidential election with the purpose of electing Donald Trump president. Moreover, a growing body of direct and circumstantial evidence corroborates Steele's conclusion that the Trump campaign conspired with the Russians in the effort. The so-called salacious paragraph in the dossier remains an open issue and is representative of an open question whether the Russians have compromising, blackmail-quality material on Mr. Trump.
41
Follow the money. After thousands of lawsuits (currently over 3,500) and four artful bankruptcies, the NY banks have not dealt with the Trump Organization in years. But suddenly Deutsche Bank started lending. The bank was not doing too well but most certainly was smart enough to know what a risk Trump was. But, it has ties to russian oligarchs. The question is is the bank serving as those oligarchs' agent. Further, Trump made home and condo purchases followed after a decent intervals by highly profitable saloes to said oligarchs. Why was that? Were the oligarchs acting for Vladimir Vladimirovich? A cynic might ask is Trump a wholly owned subsidiary of Russia?
2
Thank you, Senator Feinstein.
Grassley was just playing games and revolted me.
And Lindsey Graham has now swept away any notion that anyone still held that he was a clever, jocular gentleman.
They are both just Republican goons.
And, lastly, let me thank "The Washington Free Beacon" the conservative website who first hired Fusion GPS to start investigating Donald Trump.
Without their beginning, there would not be this end.
I throughly believe that the Republicans are skating the border of treason on this investigation.
My heart breaks for my country that we have fallen so far and that the republicans wish us to fall further.
Today is a rare moment of sunshine.
33
Feinstein is my hero! She is showing true leadership in the public interest, and is allowing the focus to return to where it needs to be - on investigating the Trump campaign rather than on killing the messenger of information pertinent to that investigation.
18
Let's add this up. Senator Grassley and maybe Senator Lindsay Graham believe that getting dirt on a Democratic candidate from Russia, a determined adversary. is nothing to fret about but getting dirt on a Republican candidate is a crime, particularly if it is collected by a former spy for our closest ally.
Call it a double standard or a triple cross but this episode really puts the patriotism of Republican cover-uppers in question.
Sunlight remains the best disinfectant. Thank you, Senator Feinstein.
37
You might have added that the Ds were seeking legally acquired intel while the Rs were chasing hacked private emails, making them complicit in the crime.
1
Thank you Senator Feinstein...time for all Dem leaders to show the same type of courage and take the fight to the GOP by showing the public what really happened. This is literally a fight to save our Democracy...the Dems need to act accordingly at every opportunity...forget customs, protocols and how things were done in the past.
19
Senators Grassley and Graham have taken to praising and kissing the ring of Dear Leader Trump. They are now actively engaging in obstruction of the truth if not justice as well. Senator Feinstein has firmly put them back in place and exposed their shoddy collusion with Trump to block the investigation. Senator Feinstein has a spine and a conscience. Keep going!!! She and her Democratic cohorts will need a lot moving forward to expose the likes of Grassley and Graham. TimesUp for those two old men.
26
The dossier is a paid for by the democratic party story book. Releasing it does nothing. Nothing in this investigation is new. Its the same year old stuff that is eaten, regurgitated and analyzed over and over. Its just plated differently.
4
The dossier was originally vomissioned by Republicans.
1
It's disturbing to think that Christopher Steele, a former British spy and citizen of another country, is more of a patriot to the United States than congressional Republicans who take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. They're traitors.
82
I'm thrilled Senator Feinstein did this. Grassley didn't clear it with her when he tried to get Steele in trouble, so she didn't need to ask him about this. I saw her on a Sunday a.m. show a few weeks ago and she mentioned something that had made her really sit up, take notice and worry.She said it is grim and worrisome, but could not go into detail, of course I wondered what it was and now think she was referring to this testimony. Anyway, thank you again Diane! Keep up the brave work and persist!
29
Excellent! Thank you, Senator Feinstein. When Sens. Grassley and Graham issued their criminal referral for someone who from all accounts acted appropriately and with honor, they lost any high moral ground. Instead, they obstructed justice.
Truth and openness in the democratic process are critical. Too much has been hidden in the Russian investigation, and in part this has been due to lies stacked upon lies by the Trump people. Grassley and Graham aided and abetted this by trying to kiss up to the president instead of dealing with the American people to whom they are responsible.
Too many women in the Senate and elsewhere have been silenced. It is a nice thing when a powerful woman can undo the mute button on important testimony that the authors themselves want in the open.
24
Good for you Senator Feinstein. The Republicans are getting into a Benghazi kind of mood again, wasting our time and money.
21
This is what patriotism looks like. Brava Senator Feinstein!
28
We have to start sticking it to the GOP and Trump, and if this is what it takes, so be it.
The days of proper norms and common courtesies are gone.
The GOP and Trump have been thumbing their noses at 'norms'. So be it.
Bring it on.
17
We can have the truth or we can have defeat.... we can't have both and we can't have neither....
7
What did the release of this transcript actually amount to, except allow Feinstein to grandstand and throw some red meat to her left-lib base, as she campaigns for yet another term in an already too-long Senate career. In California, she practically disappears for most of her terms in office and then resurfaces leading up an election year. She's been in Congress since about a decade before the Internet got going. Someone younger needs to represent California now.
5
You haven't been paying attention, Scott. Far from disappearing she has been one of the more consequential senators for decades, but she's not spending all her time grandstanding so you haven't noticed.
2
LOL, their excuse to not release it was "it would taint the investigation"? That didn't stop them from releasing information out of context to publicly compromise the integrity of the investigation. It's just incredulous.
56
Thank you, Senator Feinstein, for releasing the unclassified transcript of Mr. Simpson's, of Fusion GPS, testimony. Shine the light of day on the information.
Shame on you, Grassley and Graham, choosing to be cowards compromised by information held. It is 2018, time to drop your fear. Don't ruin your lives. We already know.
38
Proud of my Senator. There’s every reason to believe that the American people can be trusted to read what their representatives heard under oath. And please, let’s not let our Fearless Leader steal this new cycle with another playground nickname.
29
No matter how hard they try, we know who the true patriots are in this unfolding tale. Notice how the players around this dossier went to the FBI with their concerns. Meanwhile 2016 through 2017 was the Trump campaign and administration claiming no contacts with Russia. You have to ask simply why and what is there to hide?
44
Though I have voted for Feinstein since 1992, I was wavering this year. No longer. I wish there were more like her.
52
Now the transcript is out, so it's time for Senator Grassley to explain exactly how its release "taints" the committee's investigation. What specific text in the transcript should not have been revealed? And how does that particular text damage the investigation?
It's also time for Senators Grassley and Graham to explain exactly how/why Christopher Steele merits a criminal referral. What basis do they have to conclude that Steele lied to federal authorities?
If Grassley and Graham cannot satisfactorily answer these questions, then Democrats should quietly prepare for a Senate inquiry into their conduct. Recognizing that the current Republican majority would block any such inquiry at present, Democrats, for now, should carefully collect all evidence of obstruction of justice by Grassley/Graham and prepare their legal and public relations arguments. If Democrats win back Congress in November and sanity is restored, the inquiry would begin next January.
Despite what Grassley and Graham may believe, obstruction of justice is not patriotic, especially when it tacitly serves the interests of those who would subvert our democracy.
76
Thank you, Senator Feinstein for this publication of the transcript. Let the chips fall where they may, as they say. The voters are sick to death of the Republican's refusal to act in the interest of the citizens of the United States. I realize this may cause them to want to grill former Secretary Clinton once again, but she has great legal counsel and can probably avoid much testimony, since there exist sworn statements by her addressing just about anything the Republicans think they would want to ask yet again! We desperately need to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about how our election process was poisoned by foreign governments and hedge fund money. Once more into the breach!
26
Thank you Senator Feinstein for your courage and honesty in speaking for all of us. And, let us ask the kid from Sacramento if he feels he is truly ready to fill Wonder Woman's shoes; I for one don't think he is.
17
Thank you, Senator Feinstein! It's great to see that at least one Senator puts the interests of the country above any political party and actually has a functioning backbone.
31
My questions are:
1. Who is the"human source" (patriot) in Trump's inner circle that contacted FBI about Trump's involvement with Russia?
2. Is that person still in the 'circle'?
3. Is that person helping Mueller now?
10
One hopes that that particular secret stays just that until Mueller is ready to go public. Once the information is out there, the assault on the source will turn into a fury and the administration will immediately seek to erase documents he saw.
1
If you read the paragraph that followed, you would have your answer. An Australian who had been out drinking with Papadopoulos, who should the beans during said drinking.
Thank you Senator Feinstein!
One of our great Senators from the great state of California.
24
Have the Russians funded these republican candidacies or do the Russians have dirt on Grassley, Graham,and Nunes ? There is absolutely no good reason for the republicans to be obstructing justice except if they too are compromised by the Russians. Thank you Senator Feinstein for standing up for truth and against power !
39
Proud of my Senator. Thank you, Senator Feinstein, for allowing the American people to understand just what is going on.
19
Payback for the newly instantaneous leak of Comey's letter informing Congress that he needed to "reopen" the email case against Secretary Clinton.
6
Long overdue. Dems need to fight back, fight back hard, and keep fighting till Republicans are eliminated from civilized society, even if it takes fifty years. Republicans have been acting in bad faith and against the average person's interests for so long that what was once said of Communists is now true of them -- the only good one is a dead one.
22
God Bless You Senator Feinstein. All we really want is some transparency in our government.
29
It's disgraceful that the GOP went after the man who first reported collusion to the FBI. I'm old enough to remember a time when GOP didn't stand for "Grifters and Oligarchs Party," but that was then and this is now.
42
Grassley wasn't even there! The 311-page transcript reveals on Page 219 that Senator McCain learned about Steele's findings from David Kramer and Andrew Wood in Halifax, that Carter Page (Page 242) had been investigated by the FBI for years (he had Gazprom interests and was mad about the sanctions), that a lot of people knew about Manafort and his business dealings with Russia/Ukraine. Simpson and his attorney, Mr. Levy, come off as HEROS; Patrick Davis for Grassley, not so much. He has a weird interest in Prevezon, and kept steering the questions back to that. Totally marathon inquisition. Thank you, Senator Feinstein for affirming that the U.S. is not yet an autocracy.
31
The Times continues to proffer that the Steele dossier is unsubstantiated. That is categorically untrue. Many of the instances catalogued have been proven by reporters and the actions of the Russian government that has disappeared or charged officials in the dossier. The squeamish Times finds it distasteful I guess to discuss it. Not to mention it's consistent denials that its reporting in October 2016 that there was no evidence the FBI was investigating the trump campaign was false and they were played by their source.
20
Soros and Clinton fund a wild goose chase and the media prints it, over and over and over again. We are all so impressionable. The age of outrage, polarization and social media influence.
5
Joe. Wake up. Soros and Clinton are not the treasonous cover up team.
Now Grassley and Graham - that’s another story. Both should be very concerned about Mueller calling on them.
1
When Grassley, Graham, Nunes, et al, the so-called elected senators and representative, wage a partisan warfare against the United States, then the Democrats in Congress must perform the solemn duty to defend the people and the Constitution against these rotten Republicans. Release ALL Congressional records whether they are supposed to be made public or not. Rotten Republicans are leaking bits and pieces to do their propaganda campaign against the American people and against the Justice.
36
Bravo, Senator Feinstein, and thank you very much! Chuck Grassley ought to be ashamed of himself but it is clear he has no shame. The American people deserve to see what is in that transcript and in the dossier itself. Trump is a dangerous man determined to undermine our democracy by becoming an autocrat who only answers to himself. Thanks for blocking him -- at least on this issue. Sunshine and transparency right now are critical to help restore faith in our government when all we get from the "ruling party" is lie after lie, smear after smear, fib after fib. Don't let the Republican, "Dear Leader" toadies tell you anything different. If Putin himself took up residence in the White House, they'd do nothing but genuflect before him. Thanks again for your leadership and your courage.
25
This is what democracy, with a strong free press, looks like!
31
In relation to the Christopher Steele memos, I see two narratives in this document.
The first is that Russia has a long documented history of corrupt business dealings, government disruption and disinformation attacks including hacking on western democracies and blackmail using acquired compromat. Plus interest in Trump's "opaque" business dealings with "colorful characters" within the Russian regime and that "Trump had said weird things about the Russians and Putin and things that are very atypical for a Republican and that people found to be odd."
The second is that Christopher Steele is known as a former dedicated and conscientious intelligence agent for the British government, described in testimony as a "boy scout."
The testimony includes Steele's concern over the contents of the very first memo and the need to contact the FBI...which he did.
"His concern, which is something that counterintelligence people deal with a lot, is whether or not there was blackmail going on, whether a political candidate was being blackmailed or had been compromised."
"So, you know, a trained intelligence officer can spot disinformation that you or I might not recognize, certainly that was Chris's skill, and he honed in on this issue of blackmail as being a significant national security issue."
Grassely and Graham et al have some explaining to do as to why they're more interested in trying to prosecute Christopher Steele then investigating the intelligence he collected.
1163
The only "explaining" Grassley and Lindsay Graham can do is to resign their Senate seats. Grassley, a non-lawyer, is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.. Graham likely is being blackmailed by the very person he called a "kook" just a few months ago.
37
Just finished reading the whole thing, and I agree. Makes no sense at all to go after Steele.
7
Seems to me that Comey has some explaining to do too. Why on earth did he choose to put his finger on the scale for Trump?
5
Check mate Devin Nunes. It was only a few days ago you learned you were going to get your hands on the FBI investigation. How giddy you must have been to realize with a few selective leaks you could blow everything up and receive a pat on the head from the stable genius in chief. And now with Senator Feinstein's move you have to resort back to the role of sniveling sycophant.
159
You birds need to look up the word "salacious."
8
Way to go DiFi! California still has some federal power.
60
Well it is about time Ms. Feinstein woke up and did something other that throw a colleague (Al Franken) under a bus. How about the rest of the Democrats? Or are they just going to coast into the 2018 mid-terms counting on the Mueller investigation and the "...we are not Trump..." to carry them to majorities in both Houses. They need to GET TO WORK to win big in 2018 and 2020 and I see no evidence that that is happening. They are, in my opinion, setting themselves, and us, up for another catastrophic disappointment.
51
Democrats mobilized extremely well in Alabama where the party was extremely moribund. It’s simply not true that Democrats don’t have messaging—I think they are holding their cards close at the moment. (The Contact with America was brought forth by Republicans only six weeks prior to the ‘94 midterms. Also, Dems need to stop worrying about a torchbearer for the midterms: we have a plethora of good candidates to run their own campaigns, locally, with their own messages. People are inclined to vote for them anyway this time around, as the proof is in the polling. Save the messianic talk for 2020 and trust that all sorts of Dem/left/liberal organizations, not just the DNC, are fast at work!
15
Respectfully disagree. There are numerous efforts going on that are targeting vulnerable House Republicans, pairing resources from Democrats in safe districts.
It's grass roots, under the radar and purposefully candidate 'agnostic'. Super smart, dedicated people out there, canvassing, phone banking and raising money.
11
"Mr. Grassley last week rejected the firm’s request to release the transcript, citing concerns that its release could taint the committee’s ongoing investigations related to Russia’s election meddling ... " That does not pass the smell test. More like hiding something that might shed light on the investigation for us tax paying citizens.
81
Obviously you didn't read page 10 of the transcript. It is the standard guidelines followed by those participating in such interviews during an ongoing investigation. The only thing not passing the smell test is Feinstein's actions in releasing it to the public.
2
You are correct, I have not read page ten of the transcript. At least now I can. Sometimes the "standard guidelines" need to be set aside, boilerplate does not overrule transparency by public officials.
7
Now at least one obstruction of justice, that by the Senate committee, has been stopped. These guys in Washington need to remember that they work for the public, and that the information they obtain belongs to the public.
102
The Republicans have all the wealthy, Television industry, and half the public backing. All we have is the public and and the steele investigation. Power breeds power, indeed.
10
34% of the public.
6
Thank you, Senator Feinstein. We need you and more of your colleagues to stop this destruction of our country by these self-serving complicit Senators and House members. Thank you!
61
Thank you Senator! Thank you Democrats for standing up for the American people. You will be rewarded in 2018, hopefully! Keep the truth coming!
35
The Simpson interviews proves Fusion GPS, the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee colluded with Russian officials and Russian intelligence operatives to influence the 2016 election. It also proves Fusion GPS, the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Convention broke U.S. election laws. The Federal Election Campaign Act prohibits paying foreign nationals like Christopher Steele for campaign work. Since the FECA also prohibits foreign nationals from accepting payment for campaign work, the interview also proves Steele is guilty of an FECA violation. Simpson and his business partner Peter Fritsch claim Steele did not pay the Russians who shoveled the dirt for the dossier, but if it turns out that the Russian sources were on the Orbis payroll, the collusion was unlawful collusion.
7
Nonsense.
The FEC. Prohibits donations, contrributions and Expenditures. It doesn’t prohibit contract services.
Now if Steele were doing this worK for free or less than market rate, you might have a point.
28
Maybe you should read the entire testimony before throwing accusations like this. For my part, I haven't but I will, and I'm willing to bet that it will implicate Republicans far more deeply than Democrats, which is why Grassley has been trying to suppress it. Write back when you have read all the testimony, too.
22
Without citations, your assertions just sound like partisan nonsense. Citations please.
10
Thank you for your wisdom and courage Senator Feinstein!
28
Senator Feinstein will be joining Robert Mueller in the pantheon of heroes who helped save our democracy in 2018.
45
As the article explains, the testimony "provided fresh ammunition to both sides of a growing fight over the dossier."
The people who's testimony was released had begged that it should be released because they were being misquoted and slandered by GOP senators and Faux news. The people deserve to have open access, and the witnesses demanded that the people got access to this information. Who did those GOP Senators serve by refusing to release this information to the public?
70
A courageous act by one of the Senate's most respected lions. Thank you, Senator Feinstein for ensuring that the record will be set straight for those who still care about real facts.
102
I feel like this is the turning point.
Thank you Senator Feinstein!
112
Thank you, Senator Fienstein. That took guts. I imagine there will be consequences for this, perhaps censure or even criminal proceedings. Is there a chance a Republican could take her seat? Hope not!
36
There isn't a snowball's chance in he** that a republican would replace her in California. BTW, Nunes, Issa Mcklintock, Gaines - all California republican congress and senate, carrying trump's water - She will still be here -3 out of those 4 sycophants will be gone.
28
No chance that a Republican could take her seat. Or clean her seat. None have the stature, intelligence, level of patriotism or stability to do either.
10
Senator Feinstein is up for re-election in November. As a Californian, I have been considering whether it was time to get younger blood to represent us. But now I see the wisdom of having an "elder statesman" remain. Her unimpeachable reputation makes it all but impossible for the Republicans to "go after" her. Her action was subtle and timely. It absolutely showed that the two Republican "elder statesmen's" action in suggesting that Steele be investigated be more than a distraction - it was also intended to keep Steele out of the country to testify should Mueller want to question him. Unless something unforeseen occurs, I'm voting for Dianne Feinstein in November. Thank you, Senator Feinstein.
P.S. Senator, I wish you had more staff and phone lines or even the capacity to leave voice mails. Since Trump's inauguration, it has been impossible to get through to your office via phone. Emails are fine, but they are hardly a way to communicate in a timely way with one's representative.
154
I agree - she was in our crosshairs until this. I also agree about trying to reach her. She is notorious for not dealing with her constituents.
3
Wish I, too, could vote for her!
Go, girl!
You’re the best!
50
Senator Feinstein seems to have forgotten the cardinal rule: what goes around comes around. In future decades, no committee member, no matter in how minuscule a minority, should feel compunction about releasing committee material to the public. Are the contents of this transcript worth all that? Doubt that.
Reminds me of a certain ex-Senator Reid, who got rid of most of the filibuster, the direct result of which is Justice Gorsuch and a conservative SCOTUS majority probably for decades to come.
Well done, Democrats.
6
Not really what led to the new SCOUTUS Justice. More truthfully it was one of the most obstructive partisan acts in U.S. history perpetrated by Mitch. Blocked an open seat for a year. That just happened. Wait like a year before you try to pretend otherwise. Don’t be like Trump who acted like Obama’s economy was his just seconds after being inaugurated.
7
If anyone thinks McConnell, Grassley and company (the same Senate leadership that would not even consider Obama's, .the duly elected President's, last SCOTUS nominee) simply followed the Democrats' lead to seat Gorsuch, he or she is terminally naive.
The Republican Party has been energetically conducting a war against democracy in general and minority rights in particular (Mexicans, gays, blacks, and most recently Haitians and Salvadorans) for at least thirty years, and have proved time and again they are willing to do anything from suppressing votes to creating "alternative facts" to achieve their ends.
It's true Democrats did seek a way around the massive roadblocks to any court appointees placed in the way of any Obama federal court nominees. In the face of such obstruction (remember the record-setting number of filibusters--on virtually everything?), what alternative did they have when the minority party deliberately brought governance to a halt?
And though they do control the House (thanks to gerrymandering) and the
Senate (thanks to disproportionate red state representation), when it comes to the will of the people, Republicans are still the minority party.
Has anyone forgotten the majority of Americans did not elect Mr. Trump?
3
"Are the contents of this transcript worth all that? Doubt that."
I disagree.
GPS has been misquoted by the Republicans in addition to misrepresenting their role and Steele's role in the origination of the investigation.
It's sad that you don't believe in transparency in government.
The facts my friend, will set you free.
8
It's about time. Americans deserve a more open government and the secrets kept, like here were not to protect justice, but to keep Americans in the dark. How about a release of the other transcripts in regards to this investigation.
It is time to let American voters judge for themselves. Before the next election.
42
At last, a true Patriot stands up! Thank you Senator Feinstein!
This act was done in the brave tradition of Senator Mike Gravel who spent days reading 4100 pages of the Pentagon papers into the record of the Buildings & Grounds subcommittee of the US Senate in 1971.
Let the light of transparency guide us through this political maelstrom.
67
Wow! Thank you, Senator Feinstein and the NY Times, for your courageous decision to share this transcript, finally, with the American public. What a farce is contained therein! The dossier firm is run by a true patriot, and one of the two interviewers could not be further from that description. Shameful. It's high time that this Congress does its job and fulfills its moral and legal obligations.
41
Let's all remember that the republicans who are trying to protect Trump have taken Russian money too. And let's remember that Russia hacked the RNC as well and has their emails to blackmail them with.
Next up, we need to make sure that Trump testifies under oath on camera for Robert Mueller. Clinton had to and he testified for 4 hours. We need at least that.
101
Brava, Senator Feinstein. The American people should have the right to judge the facts for themselves. This direct course of action appears to be the only way to break through the endless roadblocks being thrown down to impede the way forward, while a diversionary smear campaign attempts to discredit this investigation and its investigators before it concludes.
I hope that aside from grilling Fusion GPS, the Congressional committees are also planning to interview the Australian diplomat whom intoxicated "coffee boy" Papadopolous revealed his Russia dirt to. Objective minds have already seem much to be concerned about. As Fox conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer summarized it months ago, "Bungled collusion is still collusion".
Was it too much to hope that we'd see the same Congressional interest in this as we saw in the Benghazi investigation that lasted two years? Administration loyalists have clearly sold their souls to the devil or have been beaten into submission.
The American people deserve better...and better leaders in 2018.
37
The Congressional investigations into the Russian connections serve no purpose other than as a cover up for the Administration. They are all fully partisan investigations with Republicans claiming that their bipartisan work has found nothing of interest. That's after not questioning key witnesses and not subpoenaing key document and then keeping secret what they do find out, thereby allowing them to make whatever nonsense claims that they wish.
Senator Feinstein, bless her soul, has the seniority and integrity to say "no". She openly released transcripts of the testimony and let the chips fall where they may in a true bipartisan manner. It is certain that Senators Grassley and Graham would love to exclude Democrat members of the Committee from the investigations and documentation just like was done for the now defunct Election Fraud Commission. It just makes it so much easier to direct an investigation if the actual results of the investigation can be buried and the Republicans can claim whatever results that they wish.
34
Could those Republicans running the Congressional investigations be charged with obstruction of justice themselves? Just a thought...
10
Hooray for Dianne Feinstein, from one born in California, who lived in San Francisco with her as Mayor, and who is now just as pleased as punch that she has acted as a true patriot, bravely going where others would not. I am so proud. Brava!!!
40
Thank you Senator Feinstein. Clearly Grassley and other Republicans don't like any evidence that contradicts their propaganda.
41
Senator Gavel and the Pentagon Papers part deux! Congrats to Senator Feinstein for having the courage to step forward, and circumvent Republican obstruction. Hopefully the Republicans in Washington will have an opportunity, in the near future, to rue the day they decided to support, and protect, the little man in the Oval Office.
25
I'm proud to be from California. I'm proud that Diane Feinstein represents us. I'm grateful to see that we Americans have not lost our way. Truth and compassion still matter.
29
Bravo! The truth WILL be out!
On the other hand this basically means the end of this Senate committee. Well, since the GOP-members are only interested in "Uranium One" and similar nonsense it doesn't make a big difference, does it?
16
Please clarify: Can a British citizen be prosecuted for allegedly lying to a
US government agency?
6
Thank you Senator Feinstein! Yesterday, I wrote my senator, Martin Heinrich, about the egregious criminal referral issued by Grassley and Graham. I consider the behavior of Grassley and Graham as good examples of 'Republic' senators and representatives obstructing justice. That would, of course, include Nunes' group. [Since the Rs persist in using the term Democrat party, I thought I would start using the term Republic Party to refer to them].
22
George W. Bush made this joke self-deprecatingly among a visit to the Democratic caucus after they took over the House and after just having referred to the “Democrat” Party. Ohhh, remember when politics could still be fun?
2
I I am so proud of my senator, Dianne Feinstein! And after reading part of the transcript on the Senator’s official website (I am taking a break), I am shocked at the bad faith of Senator Grassley and the Republican attorneys. It’s clear from the outset that Grassley has an agenda. He is not looking for the facts. He is trying to implicate Mr. Simpson and Fusion GPS in some kind of fictional conspiracy in order to discredit their information.
Chuck Grassley is a disgrace. America and Iowa have been good to him. I remember what a mensch Tom Harkin was and am saddened that Iowa is represented by someone as corrupt as Grassley. Iowans deserve better.
48
I am about halfway through. Very, very much worth the read.
21
Perhaps it is time to institute a RICO investigation of the Republicans providing cover for Trump.
37
Best idea of the day!
3
Republicans have long since dispensed with any form of civil governance for the sake of the nation. They have broken and violated every norm and modicum of decency since that oaf Gingrich was House Speaker.
The electorate is finally awakened to the perils of continuing to allow GOP control of public office. There is no stopping the blue wave that will crash on the nation and send the GOP rats scampering for shelter.
Senator Feinstein has set a precedent that all should follow to minimize the damage the rats can cause before they are drowned.
25
We need someone like Dianne Feinstein to run in 2020. She won't because of her age, but she's got the right stuff.
15
Sen. Feinstein's action makes me realize that I've been so preoccupied by the venality and stupidity of Trump and his toadies in the Executive and Legislative branches that I did not notice the lack of countervailing action by others who might make a difference.
I hope others in our government will follow Sen. Feinstein's example and use whatever powers they have for the benefit of the people. What is at stake here is much larger than a violation of the criminal law and we cannot expect Robert Mueller to uncover it all.
21
Someone who is the equivalent of "Deep Throat" would be nice to see.
If anything, the work that Fusion GPS and Glenn Simpson outlined in the testimony suggests that they work both sides of the street, Red and Blue, and while they do so for profit, they won't prostitute themselves at the expense of the truth. Can't say as much for Fox News and especially the Alt-Right media.
24
The Mike Gravel Profile in Courage Award goes to my hometown Senator. I call on Adam Schiff to make our state proud as well and do the same with transcripts from the House Intelligence Committee.
22
What is truly troubling about reading the transcript is how dogged the R' staffers were in pursuing this idea that Fusion GPS had an preconceived notion to discredit Trump before they were hired and therefore, sought out and only uncovered/revealed negative information about Trump to their client--a business model that would have surely put Fusion GPS out of business years ago. What law firm/client is going to hire a research agency that is only capable of finding/sharing sympathetic information that is a small sliver of what's out there to then use to go into court to defend oneself? That's suicide. But sadly, that's what Republican staffers expected Fusion GPS was motivated to do do because why???? Because that's what Republican lawmakers do every single minute of their pathetic lives--shut out all information/experience/evidence that doesn't fit into their corrupt, poisonous view of the world.
Hopefully, Trumpers will be able to read these transcripts and see the light, how truly conned they were by Bannon/Trump into believing Trump was going to MAGA. And if the RNC was the first client to hire Fusion GPS, then it means the rot goes through the entire Republican Party--every Republican lawmaker needs to be purged--first off, Grassley and Graham.
29
Real patriotism lives! Take heed, GOP, the tide is turning against you.
18
Thank you Dianne Feinstein !
17
Thank you Senator Feinstein.
47
Cool. Does the transcript say anything of note?
3
No
2
Yes, it does. I just finished reading the entire thing, all 312 pages. I encourage you to read it!
7
Women will save our democracy.
92
And...in fact....unless and until... Women dominate electorally and numerically control our social institutions, businesses and political systems...there is little hope for our country or the planet...from an old white man who knows it is time for change....
7
We definitely need more women in office, but let us not forget the enlightened males as well. We exist, we think, we vote. Don't alienate us please.
9
Albert Einstein wrote before he fled Germany that destroying the careers of opponents is one of the first and most pernicious salvos from tyrants, and the effort by Trump and other Republicans to discredit Simpson and his colleagues show Einstein was correct. We need to remember, Hitler didn't seize power, Germans elected him just like our Electoral College elevated Trump to the presidency. Thank you Senator Feinstein for taking my advice when I called your office this morning and told the receptionist essentially what I wrote here.
67
Keith, Agree with your post. As a fellow Californian, it's gratifying to see that it is possible to reach Senator Feinstein's office via phone. I haven't had such luck. Maybe I'm calling at the wrong time.
7
I simply called the number on her Senate profile.
3
Senator Feinstein is an American Patriotic Hero !!!!!
31
Now that the GOP has gone all in for their useful idiot they know they will go down with him so get ready for much much worse behaviour from the GOP. Good to see at least one democratic congress person is up to the inevitable battle royal coming sooner or later.
29
Why does the times keep calling the dossier salacious and unsubstantiated. Most of it is substantiated and very little of it is salacious.
88
Written from France: “Chapeau!”
Thank You Senator D Feinstein! And « chapeau » (Hats off) for your courage!
Something America has always been praised for is its “checks and balance” democratic formula. But how is it possible to “balance” the powers in place if the public is deprived of any ways to “check”? To repatriate GPS Simpson’s testimony where it belongs in the first place – that is the public – is a key move; yours. Let’s see what the “VSG” (Paul Krugman’s trenchant acronym for the supposedly Very Stable Genius currently in charge) and his republican surrogates will do with that move … Waiting for that!
Meanwhile, be assured that your fight goes far beyond the US confines and therefore is of concern for the rest of the world. Democratic recession (trends towards dictatorship) is, in effect, all over the place. I am not a US citizen, yet I am part of an innumerable though dispersed citizenry that fight for the same cause, one that is both our and yours: let’s call it, democracy first – that which, on the long run, made America great and should never ever have been spoiled by this mixed bag of Berlusconi/ Putin infamous brew. “Time’s up” for that good riddance? We hope so, dearly; all the more since your move! Again, thank you for that and again … chapeau!
Samuel Bordreuil.
SB is a senior researcher of the French CNRS (National Center of Scientific Research).
46
Thank you for your kind post. To paraphrase our John Paul Jones, who fought beside your Lafayette, we have not yet begun to fight. But I'm hopeful that we Americans will take our democracy back!
18
Thank you, and viva la belle France for standing beside us, and for democracy, since the 18th century.
3
Once my Mayor in horrible period of time, and now for a long both good and bad time, my Senator. Bravo and thank you, Dianne Feinstein!
Gassley and Graham seem to have lost whatever ethics they are expected to have as senators of the United States.
39
Ever since Obama was elected the republicans have pulled every dirty trick to obstruct everything thing was good for the country for fear that Obama's legacy would surpass anything a republican president has done in place previous years.They have gotten into wars with lies and destroyed the economy
22
Attack the FBI. Attack the NSA. Attack those who have tried to uncover foreign influence in American politics. Attack our environment. Attack our health care. Is there anyone left standing in Trumps administration who is actually working for us?
58
Good for you, Senator Feinstein. The American public and the world need to know just what transpired and why the GOP was blocking it.
15
Has anybody else read the transcript? I've read the fist half which can be summarized as follows:
The Republicans are focusing on earlier work that Fusion did, and not their Trump project. That earlier work was in support of the law firm representing Prevezon which had been accused of money laundering. The Russian lawyer at the infamous meeting was Prevezon's attorney. The Republican questioning is hostile. In other words, they are protecting Trump.
The Democrats focused on the predictable questions pertaining to Steele. Was he credible? How did you know? How did you first meet him? How long have you worked with him? How do you typically do things.
There are some funny and odd parts. E.g., William Browder was caught on film running down the street in Manahattan in a blizzard in order to escape a subpoena. E.g., the Prevezon case was initiated by of all people Russian organized crime figures who submitted their allegations to our own DOJ.
17
Thank you, Senator Feinstein. Good work, well done.
17
I think your use of the word “unsubstantiated” is overly broad. Much of what’s in the dossier has been substantiated, although some of the more salacious details have not. Accuracy and precision matter, now more than ever.
20
Many com many comments focused around Steele and communication to FBI, I'm more curious about statements about public documents that show Trump's ties to the mafia and Russian organized crime. Also data collected that is indicative of tax fraud By Trump and his family.
18
Indeed. I'm also interested in possible money laundering by the Trump family. It seems very likely.
7
Thank you Senator Feinstein. We have a right to know.
24
The Democrats finally show some spine! And a woman is leading the charge, a highly respected woman. Play hardball Democrats.
45
Hang out all the laundry. I think most of us know when something is dirty.
18
The truth is our only hope. The President and his supporters have been able to hide behind the undisclosed as if it didn't or couldn't exist. This heroic move by Senator Feinstein lifts the shroud provided by priveledged information and exposes those in hiding for what they truly are: complicit. The gloves are now off!
19
Smells like Pentagon Papers.
Thanks, Senator Feinstein.
34
As usual, it took forever for the Democrats to directly
call out the outright lies and disiingenuousness of the Republicans as they scramble to protect their "smart" and "stable" genius. Grassley was caught so flatfooted that he couldn't tell this woman to shut up. Bravo, Senator Feinstein!
31
It's time to give the GOP a taste of what life is going to be like when their majority is reduced to a size, to paraphrase an old saying, that it can be dragged into the bathroom and drowned in the bathtub. What goes around, Grover Norquist, comes around.
18
Good to see Senator Dianne Feinstein before she is primaried out of office by a progressive.
2
I don't know. As a Californian, I have been wondering whether it would be good to get younger blood to represent us. Today, however, I see the wisdom of havING an elder statesman of unimpeachable reputation in our corner. I know who to vote for now. Senator Feinstein!
5
Thank you Senator!
I find it enormously upsetting that a British Steele and the Australian who warned the FBI have more patriotism to the United States than two sitting American republican senators.
Going after Steele in such a malicious way to mollify their treasonous boss is like prosecuting the person who pulled the fire alarm instead of the arsonist.
57
So true. I imagine that Glenn Simpson and his attorneys must have felt a chill when they realized they would get no truth and no justice from the majority party, the Republicans.
8
When the Times characterizes the dossier as "salacious and unsubstantiated," it loads the deck against granting the report any serious attention. The dossier contains rumors of salacious past behavior by our president; it is not responsible for those rumors. Steele did not personally release the dossier because he knew it was unsubstantiated, at least in part, but the whole point of Simpson's and now Feinstein's claim is that it is also substantiated, at least in part, by confirming information the FBI has from other sources.
21
I have been wondering about that myself. The NYT has been leaning too far back to prove they are "fair and balanced." Precise language is required of our media, now more than ever. Democracy can also die as a result of muddy thinking.
4
Senator Feinstein has demonstrated true patriotism! Congress could make tougher laws requiring its committees to release similar unclassified findings or testimony with no effort by watchdog groups- automatically by law. Unfortunately and similarly, information about politicians remains hidden & partisan-protected. Example: a) ethics sexual harassment investigations; b) money/conflicts of interest.
As an example, a law should be introduced that:
1. Tax Returns: Requires the IRS to release the complete tax returns for the president, VP, and cabinet officers for the previous 12 years, including for presidential candidates on the ballot in more 3/4 of the states. It should also require the released tax forms to be certified as accurate and true by the president and by any tax preparers. Putting the disclosures on the IRS as a matter of law prevents foot-dragging or fake returns.
2. Financial Disclosure Statements: Formulates much more detailed financial statements for presidential candidates, with stiff penalties for omissions and falsehoods.
3. Emoluments Clause: Makes the Emoluments Clause into a tough law, with oversight of Justice and Congress.
4. Hidden Finances: Requires all financial and corporate entities doing business in the US to disclose any transactions, accounts, ownerships, equities or control with the president, whether onshore or offshore.
Unfortunately, it is hard to imagine Congress proposing similar laws applicable to itself.
10
Thank you Dianne Feinstein! I look forward to voting for her again this next election.
4
I hope everyone is just as excited when republicans return the favor. Everything now is a breakdown of regular order and partisan. I wonder about the 20 to 30 percent of people that still have faith in Congress. It's funny how much like trump his enemies have become.
3
This is a great move by Feinstein, but it needs to be followed up by a careful analysis of the testimony that will not only assess the veracity of Fusion GPS's testimony, but also attempt to discover why the Republicans have been so eager to suppress it. Grassley's claim that disclosing the testimony would interfere with the committee's investigation is likely to be exposed for the sham that it appeared to be.
10
Thank you Senator Feinstein. The importance of making this public is so important. It took a woman to get it done.
7
Thank you Senator Feinstein for your courage in releasing information to clarify the record and obfuscation of the Republican Party. Senator Grassley and Senator Graham disrespected the sanctity of this bi-partisan investigation to cover up a probable crime in the Trump White House thereby obstructing justice. The public has a right to know what's going on at these hearings. Piecemeal release of this information by Senators Grassley and Lindsey is an affront to justice and pure propaganda.
7
I'm glad a Democrat has grown a spine and done something without the agreement of Republicans.
But one of the facts being reported about the transcript -- that the FBI has/had an informant in the Trump camp, will undoubtedly further provoke Trump allies to discredit the FBI.
3
Still no mention of HOW MUCH money the DNC/Clinton campaign or the Washington Free Beacon (effectively, Jeb Bush's campaign, as I understand it) paid Fusion GPS and, thereby, Steele for this information. I believe these figures are known....
2
The arctic states as follows: "Ms. Feinstein moved to do so without the committee’s Republican chairman, Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, almost certainly escalating partisan tensions on the committee."
I wonder about the implication that Ms Feinstein's "escalating partisan tensions." Committee Chairman Grasley arguably has been escalating them more antyhing than Ms Feinstein has done.
13
Finally some necessary and courageous behavior by a Democrat. Senate collegiality must take a back seat under the current danger to US democratic norms and institutions.
5
Good for her! A little sunshine is always a good thing.
3
Newtonian political physics on full and democratic display. Thank you, Senator.
2
Most of the information in the testimony seems to be information I've read elsewhere. To me the important point is a) Grassley and Graham worked hard to hide the document and b) Feinstein is a fighter. Good on you, Feinstein.
7
Thank you Committee member Feinstein! A free act done by a free person.
I look forward to reading it.
As to the “reasons “Mr.Graham and the other one claim ,what are they.?
Party over country doesn’t work for me,exactly because of the current occupant
In our White House.
Thank you again for your courage and honesty Ms. Feinstein .
So pleased that Diane Feinstein decided to speak truth to power by releasing the transcript.
As others have articulated in these comments, it's about time a Democrat stood up to the despicable posturing of the Republicans. I hope they were gobsmacked by her action.
And while I hate to throw water on Ms. Feinstein, or anyone else who finally decides enough is enough (how many times have we said that over the past year?) was it really that hard to make the decision to release the transcript, stand up to the GOP and Trump, and insure that we are heard on Capitol Hill? Was it hard to do?
I don't get it.
3
REpublicans have lost any moral positions, confirmed or considered unqualified judges, ambassadors and cabinet members. Why should any sensible person think they would ever do the right thing anymore?
3
History will remember Sen. Feinstein as a hero. Hopefully, no "Progressive" Sanderscrat will dare primary her after this act of political courage.
Thank you Dianne.
8
Good ! It’s time for Chuck ‘Earnest’ Grassley to demonstrate his earnest side and continue to pursue the truth and share the findings with his real bosses, all of the American People.
3
Had Grassley not purposefully shared parts of the testimony with Fox, Grassley's position might have held water.
54
Say what you want about Sen. Feinstein. But when you have "been there, done that" as she has...being the first to run into Harvey Milk's office, assuming the mayor job after those two murders, her ardent support of reasonable gun laws, and now this...thank you for have the guts. You are a hero.
217
When this nightmare is all over, and Trump is jailed or safely tucked away in a facility for senile dementia patients, I hope someone in Washington will think to name a building after Feinstein. I hope universities will endow chairs and award university scholarships in her name. Speaking truth to power, indeed. She is fierce.
141
Thank you, Senator. We are forever grateful that you purchased that new claw hammer to put another nail in the Republican coffin. You will now have to hop over to CVS to purchase several boxes of NoDoze. You see, Republicans come out only at night. Check the rafters while you’re at it.
31
Ms Feinstein shows the Republicans for what they are, inept partisan hacks scrambling to protect their party's huge investment in Donald Trump. Good for her.
63
Finally. We, the citizens who pay
19
Once again, the pants have come in the form of a dress, thank you Senator Feinstein!
136
Finally a Senator with some guts.
52
Fusion GPS is also tied to the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, who met with Don Jr at the Trump Tower meeting and who was trying to get the Magnitsky Act overturned. Fusion GPS was hired by Veselnitskaya to smear William Browder who was the force behind the Magnitsky Act.
Here’s Browder’s testimony before the Judiciary Committee. It’s eyeopening.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?431852-1/william-browder-overturning-magni...
10
The GOP are traitors to our nation. Their sworn duty to protect and serve the public long forgotten.
65
I was genuinely shocked and frightened by the open bad faith of Grassley, the senate Judiciary committee chairman and thk
3
WASHINGTON — Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, on Tuesday unilaterally released a highly anticipated transcript of the committee’s interview with one of the founders of the firm that produced a salacious and unsubstantiated dossier outlining a Russian effort to aide the Trump campaign.
====================================================
Has the author of this piece even read the dossier? I am so sick and tired of the word "salacious" being attached to this dossier. I call republican members of congress on a regular basis, including ones who yammer on and on and on about the "salacious" dossier, and yet not one staffer I've spoken with has actually read the dossier.
I have read it. Out of 29 pages, with hundreds and hundreds of paragraphs, there are exactly TWO paragraphs that discuss the hiring of Russian prostitutes to perform a perverted sex act (can it really be that hard to believe that tRump would be a pervert?) with the rest of the paragraphs detailing ways in which Russia interfered in our 2016 elections.
And guess what - vast swaths of the dossier have been confirmed and to the best of my knowledge, none of the dossier has been disproven.
It would be helpful if the author of this article had actually read the dossier....
83
Hmmm, I think the FBI Director in a congressional testimony to the Senate Select Committee on Intel (Jun 8th) was the source as he coined the phrase "salacious and unverified." Would not hang your hat on the veracity of this dossier. Besides, the real news (800 pound gorilla in the room) is IF the dossier, funded by the DNC/HRC campaign and FBI was used to obtain the FISA warrant; in turn using the US intel/surveillance assets to spy on the Trump campaign -- well this is really bad news. I think the DOJ/FBI team released this info to Chairman Nunes yesterday. Probably why Dianne Feinstein released the transcripts. Will see when the people have had a chance to read and digest all of this info.
1
Thank You! Senator Feinstein!
39
Today scientists discovered a species they thought had gone extinct: A Democrat with a spine.
Thanks, Diane. Let the truth shine.
57
Wow! Who was the FBI "whistleblower" inside the campaign that the transcripts refer to? And were they "placed" inside the campaign, or were they already there and blew the whistle? Bannon? Priebus? Christie? Who were some of the earliest to take a job on the campaign that are now out of the administration? Or...better yet, are they still THERE?!
33
My money is on Christie. After all, he was a US Attorney.
3
Democracy dies in darkness! Thank you, Dianne, for keeping the flame alive.
61
Not sure why Fusion wanted this transcript released (unless they’re completely out of ideas to save their firm, which they may well be). Face, they’ve lost. Here’s what Simpson revealed:
- That he digs public dirt at the behest of his clients, and works with the media to get that dirt published with plenty of context
- He keeps digging until he’s asked to stop, something he calls “open-ended” research
- When public dirt runs out, he hires sub-contractors to make stuff up. His only smell-test for made-up stuff is whether it has any chance of flying, something he calls “credible”
- He’ll goad the FBI to investigate his dirt (“work product”) under the guise of good citizenship, but he”lo do it through a foreign intermediary, just to keep his involvement is minimized
- That foreign intermediary, Steele, same guy who cooked Trump dirt under contract, approached the FBI post-election for similar, more dirt-for-pay work. Presumably during Comey’s time, sensing opportunity as Comey’s relationship with Trump deteriorated
This stuff smells so bad against Clintonites, who, keep in mind, paid for it most of the way, that even Ms. Feinstein, in good conscience, is unable to keep under wraps.
The good news is that both Feinstein and Fusion are now working to get the spotlight where it truly belongs, the Clinton Campaign, although for wholly different and starkly opposite reasons.
The real reason to follow, though, is the truth. Hello NYT? OK, The Post, then. We wanna know.
3
Excuse me but do you actually have any issue with the FACTS contained in the dossier or with Mr. Simpson’s testimony ? I suspect not, otherwise you would have surely mentioned this. Your innuendo rings hollow I’m afraid.
13
@Rick
Steele’s “facts”, by Simpson’s own admission, we’re hastily compiled, unverified, and kicked forward in all directions. And handsomely remunerated. The only fact Simpson revealed in his testimony, is that Fusion is short for Fishing Expedition.
1
Thank you, Diane Feinstein!!! I think the Republican Congress needs to be investigated for contributing to Trump's obstruction of justice by obstructing justice! Who would have thought that the "religious right" would be so full of corrupt, devious, duplicitous, amoral, sycophants? Obviously the Republican party seems to be full of snake oil salesmen who are capable of talking out of both sides of their mouths while trying to protect their equally shady, corrupt president at the expense of the American people and the constitution. We need more brave Senators like Ms. Feinstein who are not afraid to take a stand!
29
The New York Times now needs to reflect on its reporting of October 31 2016 wrongly exculpatory of the Trump campaign by the FBI of any Russian involvement. We see that to be a pivotal moment that effectively cast the FBI’s intentions and actions into doubt. The “Judith Miller” moment of Trump-Russia. The Times needs to take a hard and critical look at itself.
19
Trump says Judge Mueller's Russia inquiry makes our USA "look very bad." By his twisted logic, having an American president -- Trump -- serving simultaneously as Vlad Putin's hand puppet makes our USA appear invincible.
8
Thank you, Senator Feinstein.
"The American people have a right to know if their President is a crook..." Richard Nixon, Nov 1973.
It took 9 more months to find out the truth.
Just like today, Republicans spent many months trying to cover up the cover up of Presidential crimes. Nixon resigned 9 months later for far less than the sprawling allegations and evidence before the public today. (trust me, we don't know half of what Mueller does today).
Grassley, Nunez and others are fools for betting on the Trump family. They would be smarter to preserve some shred of integrity by at least appearing even handed in the face of a mountain of evidence.
Sometime in 2018, Trump will most likely fire the Special Prosecutor in an attempt to block the truth from coming out. What happens then is anyone's guess but it won't be good for the GOP.
34
In Watergate, there was an underlying crime-no dispute. What underlying crime has been identified here?
1
Thank goodness Rip Van Feinstein finally awoke from her slumber and decided to play hardball. Better late than never. It's getting close to Mueller time!
21
And this time, no bladder protection was required, or was it? She'll never tell.
That's her secret to sell.
I am so glad they didn't make a man breakdown and cry before Washington had to admit anyone not reading the Pentagon Papers was in on it...
When Steel was sued for libel his tune changed: " According to Steele’s courtroom version, the dossier is merely a compilation of bits of “raw intelligence” that were “unverified” and that he passed along because they “warranted further investigation” — i.e., not because he could vouch for their truthfulness. He gave them to American and British government officials, he maintains, only because they raised potential national-security threats, not because they actually established any such threats."
2
So Steele severed ties with the FBI because he was concerned that he didn't know what was going on inside and he had concerns that the Trump people were manipulating the FBI for political purposes...i hope Mueller has investigated the New York field office of the FBI they were complicit in this whole mess.
31
Excellent. Best thing feinstein has done in a very long time.
20
We've long known that the Republicans in Congress put their party before country. As they work ever more brazenly to impede legitimate investigations against their precious I'll-sign-anything-you-send-me president, we now see that Congressional Republicans are willing to put party before law.
17
What's up with Senator Nunes, Grassley and Lindsey Graham? What gifts did Trump bestow upon them to turn their backs to the American people? Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
89
A glimpse of transparency from those doing "The People's" business! Remember that?
13
Can't wait to read the testimony and see if Grassley's claims are as specious as his "death panels" lies about Obamacare and his grandstanding referral of Steele to FBI.
18
Like they say, "The best man for the job is a woman!"
Dianne takes one for democracy using transparency as her shield.
18
Essentially what [Steele] told me was [the FBI] had other intelligence about this matter from an internal Trump campaign source and that -- that they -- my understanding was that they believed Chris [Steele] at this point -- that they believed Chris's information might be credible because they had other intelligence that indicated the same thing and one of those pieces of intelligence was a human source from inside the Trump organization."
So its not that the FBI had other sources it is that Mr Simpson says Mr. Steele told him the FBI had other sources. But it is Mr. Steele's credibility that is in question regarding the whole Fusion Report.
Simpson knows Steele was not lying because he said he the FBI had other sources and he would never lie about that? Duh?
This tells me nothing except that when testifying about anything the testifier will try to put the best light on anything and everything he did. In short this is nothing but self serving testimony without any facts to back up his statements.
Hopefully the NYT does better in verifying its facts before publication than Mr. Simpson does.
1
With this act, another reason that we need wise, thoughtful, brave Democrat leaders who have been in the job for years and know where and how to lead the country. I get nervous when I hear we need "new blood" in the party. This woman is a jewel!
15
Finally!!! A Democrat with a spine! I was being to think they were a total lost cause, but at least there's a small ray of light...albeit, a very small ray. Democrats better wake up quick because right now the supposed "blue wave" is a figment of their imagination unless they start earning our votes.
10
There’s no way that Trump made all his money without being connected to organized crime and involved in money laundering.
The average Joe/Jane works long hard hours and pays their taxes. They can’t afford membership at Mar-a-Largo, hav to cut the grass so have no time to play golf and can’t afford to buy the wife a 25 carat diamond ring.
Trump does not belong in the White House but he does belong in the “big house”.
15
Hi, Release everything including those who vote for something and then against when the President on another party is for it.
Has anyone talked about the fictitious links in the fusion GPS garbage. This is a campaign to see who is the most self serving politician out there.
Thank you Senator Feinstein! You are allowing the truth to bypass the republicans blocking it and come to the people.
10
It really has come to the point where the GOP is nothing more than a party of deceit and dissembling.
Lincoln is rolling in his grave.
9
Thank YOU Diane Feinstein! You truly do represent us. I'm very proud to have voted for you. Thank you for acting in our best interest.
9
Sunlight! A wonderful disinfectant.
The article mentions the dossier was funded by Democrats. I thought the original research was funded by Trump GOP competitors, then by Democrats doing opposition research after Trump was nominated?
12
God Bless Senator Feinstein sense of right and her courage! It should be possible to bring charges of conspiring to obstruct justice against the Republican senators and members of the house who are conspiring so vigorously to prevent justice from happening in the Russian investigation. They are truly conspirators in their attempt to cover up the truth.
7
I lived in San Francisco when Diane Feinstein became mayor, following the murder of George Moscone and Harvey Milk. She certainly rose to the occasion and led all if us who were SF residents through a very dark time.
While I always voted for her, I must admit there have been times I've thought she was a Republican in a Democrat's clothing, but today I could not be prouder of Senator Feinstein. This may be the most important and memorable act of her entire career. She is a
true American patriot and hero.
16