The Washington Post takes a detailed look at Fusion GPS, the research firm that hired former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele whose memos became the Trump dossier.
[H]undreds of internal company documents obtained by The Washington Post reveal how Fusion, a firm led by former journalists, has used investigative reporting techniques and media connections to advance the interests of an eclectic range of clients on Wall Street, in Silicon Valley and in the nation’s capital. The firm has played an unseen role in stories that dominated headlines in recent years.
The article explains the kind of investigative opposition work Fusion does on behalf of people who can pay, like "medical-device company Theranos" and "nutritional supplement company Herbalife."
Fusion’s other past research targets, documents show, included tech giants Google and Amazon; 2012 presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama; and Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Bob Corker of Tennessee. (Amazon chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
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“I call it journalism for rent,” [founder Glenn] Simpson, 53, said in August of last year at the Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival and Symposium in the District, where he described Fusion’s work on a panel titled, “Investigations With an Agenda.”
Fusion has about 10 employees, he said. It has worked on a broad array of cases, including matters related to marijuana dispensaries, health-care workers, a state insurance official and even a Florida homeowner’s association, internal documents show.
Fusion has also quietly advocated causes and pet projects dear to wealthy and famous clients.
Fusion reportedly responded positively to the Washington Post's profile:
Fusion declined to comment on specific cases or identify clients, but said in a statement that it is “proud of our methodology and the rigor of our research, amply demonstrated by the records cited by The Washington Post. They show what we’ve always stated: Our secret sauce is diligent and exhaustive analysis of public information.”
It continued: “The reason we are so effective is that we unearth facts that stand up to scrutiny — presumably why we are still talking about our work detailing the connections between the Trump campaign and Russia more than a year later.”
Full story: ‘Journalism for rent’: Inside the secretive firm behind the Trump dossier (WaPo)