Fusion GPS — the firm behind the Trump dossier — filed for an injunction in a D.C. court on Friday to quash a subpoena for its financial records, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
The House intelligence Committee earlier this month subpoenaed TD Bank for Fusion GPS’s financial records, and an injunction would be to prevent those records from being handed over.
The move comes two days after Fusion GPS executives Peter Fritsch and Thomas Catan appeared before the committee and pleaded the fifth to every question asked. Another executive, Glenn Simpson, is due to testify in November.
Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) had requested the subpoenas to find out basic information about the dossier that’s still publicly unknown, such as who paid for it, and what sources it relied on, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Fusion GPS hired ex-British spy Christopher Steele to put together the dossier, which made salacious and unverified claims about President Trump, including that he colluded with Russia. It’s not known what sources he relied on.
Anti-Trump Republicans reportedly initially funded the dossier through the primary election, after which pro-Hillary Clinton supporters reportedly funded it. The FBI reportedly reached an agreement to pay for the dossier, but it’s not clear whether any payments were made.
The document was reportedly used by the FBI to get a FISA warrant against Trump campaign officials, and as a roadmap for the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the election.
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