The File
Opposition research funded through a presidential campaign entered the FISA process and the press as intelligence. The Federal Election Commission found probable cause that the DNC and the Clinton campaign misreported the purpose of payments that actually funded Fusion GPS's research on Trump, fining both committees in February 2022. The dossier's primary subsource, Igor Danchenko, was indicted by Special Counsel John Durham for lying to the FBI about his sourcing, then acquitted on all counts by a jury in October 2022.
The Documented Record
February 17, 2022: The Federal Election Commission accepted conciliation agreements with the DNC and Hillary for America. [DOCUMENTED]
The FEC found probable cause that both committees violated federal disclosure law by misreporting the purpose of certain disbursements, which actually funded Fusion GPS's opposition research through Perkins Coie. The DNC paid a $105,000 fine and the Clinton campaign paid $8,000. [DOCUMENTED]
The FEC separately dismissed allegations against Christopher Steele, Fusion GPS, Perkins Coie, and Marc Elias for insufficient evidence. [DOCUMENTED]
November 2021: Special Counsel John Durham indicted Igor Danchenko, identified as the dossier's primary subsource, on five counts of making false statements to the FBI. [DOCUMENTED]
Durham's indictment alleged Danchenko lied about his sourcing, specifically that Democratic operative Charles Dolan, who had ties to the Clinton campaign, was his actual main source rather than the Trump-insider source Danchenko had implied. [DOCUMENTED]
October 18, 2022: A jury acquitted Danchenko on all remaining counts. [DOCUMENTED]
What the Record Does Not Establish
The record does not establish that Steele, Fusion GPS, or Perkins Coie committed a prosecutable offense, since the FEC dismissed those specific allegations for insufficient evidence and Danchenko himself was acquitted at trial. What is documented is the campaign-finance violation itself, the funding chain from the DNC and Clinton campaign through Perkins Coie to Fusion GPS, and the jury's rejection of the government's case against the dossier's identified subsource.
Sources
- MUR 7449 Conciliation Agreement, Federal Election Commission, 2022
- Federal campaign watchdog fines DNC, Clinton campaign over dossier spending, Politico, 2022
- An analyst is acquitted of lying to the FBI over the Trump-Russia Steele dossier, NPR, 2022
- Durham target heading to trial as probe winds down, Politico, 2022
Connected Files
INTL-001 documents the FISA applications this dossier fed into.