GOP/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/LEGAL/POLITICAL FIGURES: “The decision by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein to make public 300 pages of testimony related to a controversial dossier drew a rebuke from the Judiciary Committee’s Republican chairman but was welcomed by other GOP colleagues.
Glenn Simpson, the founder of Fusion GPS, was questioned in August 2017 by Judiciary Committee investigators about the dossier commissioned by his firm, which contained salacious and unverified material on President Donald Trump’s purported ties to Russia. Last week, Mr. Simpson had publicly called for his testimony to be released. At the same time, Capitol Hill Republicans have been pushing for deeper investigations into Fusion GPS.
Ms. Feinstein said she was releasing the transcript in part to rebut charges that Mr. Simpson had acted inappropriately…
Ms. Feinstein’s action drew condemnation from Republicans on the Judiciary Committee. A spokesman for Chairman Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) said that Ms. Feinstein’s move ‘undermines the integrity of the committee’s oversight work and jeopardizes its ability to secure candid voluntary testimony relating to the independent recollections of future witnesses.’
Other Republicans said the release of the transcript was helpful in understanding the dossier’s genesis.”
-Byron Tau, “Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Decision to Release Fusion GPS Transcript Draws GOP Criticism, Praise,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 10, 2018 10:19am