Washington Free Beacon funded original Fusion GPS anti-Trump opposition effort

[octoberlib]

Lawyers for the conservative publication Washington Free Beacon informed the House Intelligence Committee Friday that the organization was the original funder for the anti-Trump opposition research project with Fusion GPS.

The Free Beacon funded the project from the fall of 2015 through the spring of 2016, whereupon it withdrew funding and the project was picked up by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign.

The Free Beacon was founded in 2012. Its founders included Michael Goldfarb, who has moved back and forth between conservative journalism, politics, and activism. The Free Beacon was originally part of a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization called the Center for American Freedom, but in 2014 became a for-profit organization. It has never revealed its ownership.

The Center for American Freedom's original board of directors included William Kristol, the former editor of the Weekly Standard, a sister publication of the Washington Examiner and where both Goldfarb and Free Beacon editor Matthew Continetti worked. Kristol is one of the nation's most prominent "Never Trump" activists and during the Republican primary campaign worked to recruit a candidate to challenge Trump for the GOP nomination.


http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-free-beacon-funded-original-fusion-gps-anti-trump-opposition-effort/article/2638850?platform=hootsuite

[OnDoutside]

1. Whoah !!! :) Interesting !

My central question still remains

The Free Beacon funded the project from the fall of 2015 through the spring of 2016, whereupon it withdrew funding and the project was picked up by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Who informed the Democrats that this project was up for grabs ? This is the vital question. If it's Kristol, there'll be fun times ahead ! (Would have preferred if it was Bush though).

[octoberlib]

3. Could have been any of the never trumpers. Most likely Kristol, though.

[OnDoutside]

10. Yes, and I can't help thinking there will be consequences if true.

[NastyRiffraff]

7. Good question

I'm betting on Kristol. He hates Trump and has a Free Beacon connection.

[OnDoutside]

12. Trump will go berserk.... Hopefully !

[Madam45for2923]

8. Maybe Fusion GPS informed them?

[OnDoutside]

9. That's a possibility, if they had the rights to take what they

had found for one client, and sell it to what is a competitor.

[underpants]

2. and the Hillary Clinton campaign.

They just had to throw that in there didn't they?

[octoberlib]

4. Well, the Examiner is conservative. They just can't help themselves.

[underpants]

5. One third string conservative news outlet turning on another

Ain't that a shame.

[karynnj]

11. Wasn't that the story - even if HRC herself knew nothing about it?

[underpants]

14. No the money trail we know of is Perkins Coie to Fusion GPS

That's all we know now. Even if the DNC did pay Perkins directly to do this it's oppo research which is part of the game.

Dimwit Jr. and Manafort met directly with Russians (Jr. twice), he should have paid someone else to go.

[karynnj]

15. True, opposition research is the norm and it would almost be campaign malfeasance

if none was done. What I read was that Perkins Cole (Mark Elias' firm) paid on the part of the DNC and HRC's campaign.

[Pugster]

6. Will the media cover this as extensively

As they did regarding other funding? I hope so.

[octoberlib]

13. The NYT just picked it up.

[mopinko]

16. looks like rubio.

tweety says the guy is a rubio supporter.

[octoberlib]

17. The Free Beacon is owned ,in part,by Paul Singer

and he was a Rubio supporter.