Wall Street Journal accuses ‘Beltway media’ of ‘lack of interest’ in Russia dossier

The Wall Street Journal editorial board on Sunday accused “the Beltway media” of having a “lack of interest” in a controversial and unverified dossier on alleged connections between President Trump and Russia.

In an editorial, the newspaper argued that more information is needed about the origins of the dossier and those behind its research.

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The op-ed comes after the House Intelligence Committee last week subpoenaed Fusion GPS, the political research firm behind the dossier, which was compiled by former MI6 officer Christopher Steele.

“Americans deserve to know who paid Mr. Simpson for this work and if the Kremlin influenced the project,” the Journal wrote, referencing the firm’s founder, Glenn Simpson, who once was a reporter for the newspaper. 

“They [Americans] also deserve to know if former FBI director James Comey relied on the dossier to obtain warrants to monitor the Trump campaign. If the Russians used disinformation to spur a federal investigation into a presidential candidate, that would certainly qualify as influencing an election,” the board said.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) this month also pressed the FBI to explain how it sought to ensure that foreign intelligence used in its Russia investigation was not ultimately sourced back to the dossier.

The newspaper also said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein must enable members of the Justice Department “to handle Congress’s requests” about documents related to Russian election meddling.

“Mr. Mueller will grind away at the Trump-Russia angle, but the story of Democrats, the Steele dossier and Jim Comey’s FBI also needs telling,” the Journal said.

“Americans don’t need a Justice Department cover-up abetted by Glenn Simpson’s media buddies,” the board warned.

The dossier circulated in Washington during the 2016 campaign but most media outlets refused to run it because it was unverified. 

“The real question is why Democrats and Fusion seem not to want to tell the public who requested the dossier or what ties Fusion GPS boss Glenn Simpson had with the Russians in 2016,” the editorial reads.

“All the more so because congressional investigators have learned that Mr. Simpson was working for Russian clients at the same time he was working with Mr. Steele,” the board continued.

The Senate Intelligence Committee is also looking into Russian influence in the election, possible collusion with the Trump campaign, as well as the Russia dossier. But Senate leaders said this month they have “hit a wall” in their review of the dossier.