Fusion Cofounders Glenn Simpson and Peter Frisch to the UK: The UK Needs Its Own Russian Collusion Conspiracy Theory and If You Pay Us Lots and Lots of Money We'll Cook You Up One That You Can Then Use To Get Warrants on Innocent Citizens

Are.

You.

Kidding.

Me?

And by the way, Christopher Steele already tried this, offering the UK an Exciting New Dossier claiming that everyone leftwingers don't like is a RUSSIAN AGENT.

I'm sure lefty outlets like the Guardian will pay for this -- and that's what this is about, right? Drumming up business?

"Look at what we did in the US -- we just completely made shit up but we got our secret collaborators in the media and government to open counterintelligence surveillance investigations into innocent citizens! Pay us some money and You can choose which person you don't like who we'll frame up!"

They're bragging that they can spin lies and get them planted in the press. And sometimes actually pay "journalists" directly from Fusion accounts.

Fusion admits they do this -- but they claim they're paying "journalists" for " " " " research " " " ".

But they won't name the "journalists" they're bribing, of course, and the "journalists" being bribed won't admit they are being paid by Fusion for " " " " research " " " ".

And I'm sure the "journalists" being paid for " " " " research " " " " never feel obligated to push some lies that their paymasters are pushing them.

The British political system has become thoroughly compromised by Russian influence. It’s high time its institutions – including the media – woke up to that fact. In 2016, both the United Kingdom and the United States were the targets of Russian efforts to swing their votes. The aim was to weaken the alliances that had constrained Vladimir Putin’s ambitions, such as the European Union and Nato.

The efforts in both countries had much in common....

What they had in common was Richard Dearlove, Christopher Steele, and Fusion GPS.

Our Washington-based research firm, Fusion GPS, conducted much of the early investigations into Russia’s support of the Trump campaign, aided by our colleague Christopher Steele, the former head of MI6’s Russia desk. While our initial focus was on Russian meddling in US politics, it has since become increasingly clear that Britain’s political system has also been deeply affected by Russian influence operations.

And if we framed Donald Trump and Carter Page, believe us, we can frame Boris Johnson and Carl Benjamin, too!

There the similarities end. For the past three years, the US has undergone a messy and boisterous effort to understand the extent of Russian influence on the 2016 election and beyond.

"Humblebrag: We did that (looks jadedly at nails)"

After mostly ignoring the issue during the election campaign itself, the US media have made up for lost time by digging deeply into Russian interference and the extent of the Trump campaign's complicity.

Which was found to be zero.

All of these investigations have been imperfect.

Imperfect, in the sense that they all concluded that we were paid liars spinning conspiracy theories for a deranged drunkard madwoman's weird pleasures.

The congressional investigations often devolved into farce as Trump's political allies decided to investigate the investigators instead of Russia’s attack.

They caught us, the rotters.

But the process did produce an avalanche of documents and testimony, a great deal of it public, that has aided understanding of what occurred.

See? They're pitching it to Labour. "Sure, our 'dossier' was bogus and was proven entirely false, but who cares? We buried them in paperwork and put them through three years of depositions and paralysis. Let us work that Fusion GPS Magic for you, Jeremy Corbyn. We don't mind working for antisemites; we prefer doing so, in fact."

..

In Britain, the official response has consisted largely of denial. Consumed by bitter divisions over Brexit and public spending, it took years longer than it should have for parliament to conduct an investigation of Russian penetration of British politics.

For the low low price of $30 million, we can start contacting Christopher Steele's fake contacts and paying them to repeat the artisinally-crafted lies we read to them.

Many US institutions have shown more backbone and independence than their UK counterparts. Some of those who served in the Trump administration, such as the British-born Fiona Hill and Lt Col Alexander Vindman, have been willing to stand up in public and tell the truth, despite intimidation from the president and his allies.

In other words: "Don't worry if there's no evidence for our farcical accusations -- sympathetic Red Fellow Travelers will rise up like a Fifth Column of accusers to lie about our targets."

...

The British official instinct to handle these unpleasant matters in private has not served it well. The public cannot have confidence that the political establishment will deal with these thorny issues any better than it has with Brexit.

That's why you need to pay $30 million to a private "investigatory journalism" firm.

In short, Britain needs its own Mueller report: a full, independent and public accounting of Russian efforts to interfere in its politics.

Pay us, lefties! We have no scruples and we can plant any stories we invent with your leftwing press and leftwing saboteurs within government.

Fusion GPS sounds like Anita Sarkesian -- worried that it's old grift is no longer working and desperately shaking the can for fresh "donations."

By the way, a source tells me that there's another familiar figure in with the Fusion crowd, trying to convince every European country to buy its services -- David Kramer, the former John McCain aid who sherpa'd the "Dossier" throughout the US government.

"Same f#cking people, " a friend seethes. "Same f#cking grift."

posted by Ace of Spades at 12:58 PM

| Access Comments