Senate Judiciary Committee Subpoenas Founder of Firm Behind Trump Dossier

[Dashinka 25,897]

I wonder what Fusion GPS has to hide?  I believe all of the Trump associates have appeared before the Senate or House Committees with little difficulty.  Maybe Glenn Simpson doesn't want to answer questions as to how Fusion is tied to the DNC.

 

By 

Byron Tau

July 21, 2017 8:16 p.m. ET

86 COMMENTS

WASHINGTON—The Senate Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena on Friday to compel the founder of a firm that compiled a dossier of unverified research about President Donald Trump to testify in front of Congress.

Attorneys for Glenn Simpson, a former Wall Street Journal reporter who now runs a political intelligence firm in Washington called Fusion GPS, told the committee in a Friday letter that their client was traveling and unavailable for next week’s hearing. The letter also said they were prepared to fight a subpoena and invoke Mr. Simpson’s constitutional right not to give testimony if compelled to appear.

Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and the committee’s top Democrat, Dianne Feinstein, in a joint statement said: “Glenn Simpson, through his attorney, has declined to voluntarily attend Wednesday’s Judiciary Committee hearing regarding compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Therefore, a subpoena has been issued to compel his attendance. Simpson’s attorney has asserted that his client will invoke his Fifth Amendment rights in response to the subpoena.”

The letter explaining Mr. Simpson’s refusal to appear cites his obligations to keep his client information confidential and his First Amendment right under the Constitution to engage in political speech and political activity. The Fifth Amendment allows witnesses to refuse to give testimony on matters that could incriminate them.

Mr. Grassley and Ms. Feinstein said they would compel witnesses to appear at a hearing scheduled for July 26 on the topic of foreign influence peddling if they refuse to appear voluntarily.

In addition to Mr. Simpson, the committee has summoned Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s campaign chairman for several months in 2016, and Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, to next week’s hearing, along with Russia sanctions activist and businessman Bill Browder. The Judiciary Committee said Messrs. Trump Jr. and Manafort are providing documents to the committee and are still negotiating the terms of their testimonies. 

Congressional subpoenas are mandatory summonses to appear before Congress, but the legislature has had difficulty enforcing them in the past. Congress typically needs either assistance from a federal court or the Justice Department to help compel a witness who defies a congressional subpoena. A procedure allowing congressional law-enforcement officials to take a witness into custody hasn’t been used in decades.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-judiciary-committee-subpoenas-founder-of-firm-behind-trump-dossier-1500682608

[jg121783 3,921]

The left would say pleading the 5th is a sign of guilt. Unless of course it is one of their own.

[Dashinka 25,897]

2 hours ago, jg121783 said:

The left would say pleading the 5th is a sign of guilt. Unless of course it is one of their own.

No doubt.  The reason Simpson doesn't want to testify is to protect his clients.  I wonder who their clients are?

[IAMX 3,055]

5 hours ago, jg121783 said:

The left would say pleading the 5th is a sign of guilt. Unless of course it is one of their own.

- Trump admin: Pleading the 5th is a sign of guilt! Impeach! Russian conspiracy!

- Obama admin: They're well within their rights to plead the 5th. Do you hate the Constitution?

 

[Dashinka 25,897]

13 hours ago, IAMX said:

- Trump admin: Pleading the 5th is a sign of guilt! Impeach! Russian conspiracy!

- Obama admin: They're well within their rights to plead the 5th. Do you hate the Constitution?

 

Definitely.  I see Susan Rise is doing everything she can to avoid testifying.  Then there is Samantha Power who for some reason as the former UN ambassador is mixed up with the whole unmasking.

 

MDL logic, "nothing to see here, it's all Trump and the Russians".

 

[IAMX 3,055]

4 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

Definitely.  I see Susan Rise is doing everything she can to avoid testifying.  Then there is Samantha Power who for some reason as the former UN ambassador is mixed up with the whole unmasking.

 

MDL logic, "nothing to see here, it's all Trump and the Russians".

 

The more Russia is kept in the spotlight the worse it makes Dems look. 

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

1 hour ago, IAMX said:

The more Russia is kept in the spotlight the worse it makes Dems look. 

exactly which us why Don Jr and Paul will testify behind close doors and not under oath, it is good for the country

[jg121783 3,921]

They are testifying behind closed doors because that is how the Congress wants it. No record of their testimony so that members of Congress can accuse them of whatever they want with no record to prove them wrong.

[IAMX 3,055]

1 hour ago, jg121783 said:

They are testifying behind closed doors because that is how the Congress wants it. No record of their testimony so that members of Congress can accuse them of whatever they want with no record to prove them wrong.

No way man apparently everyone else is in control of how Congress does hearings. Trump Jr.  is just that magical. 

[Dashinka 25,897]

2 hours ago, jg121783 said:

They are testifying behind closed doors because that is how the Congress wants it. No record of their testimony so that members of Congress can accuse them of whatever they want with no record to prove them wrong.

I agree, the behind closed doors thing is on the Senate.  In the case of the Fusion GPS guy, he won't even show up, and Susan Rice says yes, then no to an agreed up testimony.  Maybe the last administraction and the DNC have much more to hide.

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

1 hour ago, IAMX said:

No way man apparently everyone else is in control of how Congress does hearings. Trump Jr.  is just that magical. 

he is a spectularly good kid

[IAMX 3,055]

4 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

I agree, the behind closed doors thing is on the Senate.  In the case of the Fusion GPS guy, he won't even show up, and Susan Rice says yes, then no to an agreed up testimony.  Maybe the last administraction and the DNC have much more to hide.

It's clear the DNC has something to hide.. they publicly whine and politicize the Russian hacking John Podesta opening phishing links/leaving devices with classified national security docs in public bathrooms/using p@ssword as his password, but they actively refuse to allow the government to investigate. I've never to this day come across a leftist on the internet who has complained about this obvious suspicious behavior, yet wants the government to aggressively investigate every fake news/conspiracy story the MSM can concoct. 

Edited July 23, 2017 by IAMX