![]() ![]() ![]() That is why collecting intelligence from a variety of sources (as in the Steele dossier) is essential, as is contextualizing the findings.ĭonald Trump had a long history related to Russia in 2015 when Fusion GPS was commissioned, dating back to the 1980s when the Russians supposedly first targeted Trump as someone potentially useful to them. There is always a danger that a source is misinformed or has an axe to grind. At the time of the investigation, it would have certainly made sense to find out everything possible about Trump and his Russian ties - there was certainly enough smoke around this topic. ![]() The Steele dossier was just raw intelligence based on rumors about Trump. In the case of Donald Trump, a firm called Fusion GPS was paid - at first by Republicans and then later by Democratic operatives - to do a deep background check on Donald Trump. We let the client know that while this person has an unsavory past, it is far from uncommon when doing business in that country, and if they want to realize the upside of the deal, they have to get comfortable with that element of risk. Despite these backgrounds, they might now be totally legitimate and with a decade or more of a clean record behind them. For instance, we’ve worked on many cases involving individuals from Eastern Europe involved in shady deals in the 1990s when, for instance, tunneling of national assets was common practice. This kind of contextualizing is often extremely important. Others want the investigator’s viewpoint (but often just want a verbal briefing - no paper trail). Some want none because it could open them to questions of liability if they don’t act on certain pieces of information. It varies amongst clients as to whether any editorializing is part of such a report. Once the information is collected, it is collated into a report along with the public records research. Questions will be driven by the nature of the background check or what might have surfaced in the public records research. During the investigation, the work is fluid, with information coming in from one source raising questions an investigator might ask of another source. These inquiries leverage human intelligence - often utilizing former spies like Christopher Steele who have good source networks - to conduct interviews about the subject.Ī comprehensive investigation will involve inquiries with a variety of sources to create a mosaic of information. This is particularly true if the subject has little or no international profile.ĭiscreet source inquiries are used when concern is raised by items in public records, or a client simply requires a deeper background check. Often a client can be satisfied by public records research to feel their risk exposure has been mitigated. It also includes utilizing a variety of proprietary databases like Lexis-Nexis and Accurint, as well as criminal and litigation records research. The former is an exhaustive look at what can be found through internet searches, news sites, blogs and social media. When a corporate investigation firm is tasked with delving into the background of a subject, it typically approaches it from two perspectives: public records research and what is known as discreet source inquiries. To shed light on that, let us first describe the process that typically surfaces the type of information found in the Steele dossier and how it is used. Supporters of the former president believe he was the victim of a “ witch hunt” and that the dossier was a critical part of it.įor those of us in corporate investigations, it is neither.Īt heart is confusion over exactly what the Steele dossier actually is. First journalists treated the sensational dossier as proof of Donald Trump’s Manchurian Candidate-style nomination for the U.S. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |