Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Donald Trump says he is 'victim' of dossier on his Russia links that was paid for by Clinton campaign

US President hits back after reports that controversial report was partly funded by Democrats

Benjamin Kentish
Wednesday 25 October 2017 08:35 EDT
Comments
Donald Trump said a dossier containing allegations about his links with Russia was 'fake news'
Donald Trump said a dossier containing allegations about his links with Russia was 'fake news' (Getty)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump has said he is the "victim" of fake news after it emerged that Hillary Clinton's campaign helped pay for a controversial dossier linking him to the Russian state.

The Washington Post reported late on Tuesday that the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) partly funded the dossier, compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, which made salacious claims about Mr Trump.

Investigators exploring potential links between Russia and Mr Trump’s campaign have spent hours interviewing the co-founder of Fusion GPS, the firm that hired Mr Steele.

In response to the latest revelations, Mr Trump posted a quote on Twitter claiming he is the "victim" of fake news.

He wrote: '"Clinton campaign & DNC paid for research that led to the anti-Trump Fake News Dossier. The victim here is the President."'

Mr Trump included the Twitter handle of Fox News, his favoured media outlet, at the end of the tweet.

It is unclear who, if anyone, the Republican was quoting.

Previous reports had suggested the controversial dossier was funded by a wealthy Republican donor who was opposed to the prospect of a Trump presidency. However, it has now emerged that the money also came from the Democratic Party and Ms Clinton's campaign.

According to the Post, a lawyer working on behalf of the DNC and the Clinton campaign hired Fusion GPS after the Republican stopped funding the research.

It is the first time that the DNC and Ms Clinton have been directly linked to the dossier, although previous reports had suggested the Democrats were involved in funding the project.

Mr Trump has repeatedly denied having links to the Russian state and has consistently dismissed the allegations in the dossier. Posting on Twitter at the weekend, he said the document had been "discredited" and demanded the FBI publish details of who funded it.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in