Fusion GPS - consolidation thread

Elsewhere, I had mentioned that I had been considering a theme thread focusing on Fusion GPS; this is the result of that contemplation

With all the brouhaha over ‘Russian collusion’ and other tangentially related matters, there is one company at the center of the snipstorm that has become political discourse today.

That company is Fusion GPS.

Fusion GPS is a commercial research and strategic intelligence firm based in Washington, D.C. The company conducts open-source investigations and provides research and strategic advice for businesses, law firms and investors, as well as for political inquiries, such as opposition research.

The company was co-founded in 2011 by Glenn R. Simpson, a former investigative reporter and journalist for Roll Call and The Wall Street Journal; Peter Fritsch, former Wall Street Journal senior editor; and former Wall Street Journal journalist Thomas Catan.

Wikipedia

Now, there is a plethora of information about this company scattered in various threads here @ ATS (see list of related threads below), and so much of this information may already be known by many. I am authoring this thread in order to pull together the most salient information regarding this company so as to be a resource for others who may wish to take a closer look behind the scenes so that we might determine motivations for the various actions being reported on.

Looking at the founders of the company we find the following:

Glenn Simpson
Along with two other former Wall Street Journal reporters, launched Fusion GPS in 2011
Business Positions
Fusion GPS Commercial research and strategic intelligence firm based in Washington D.C
• Founder and CEO
Professional Associates
Josh Levy Attorney; partner - Cunningham Levy Muse LLP
• attorney

Little Sis

There is actually quite a bit out there about Glenn R Simpson (and his wife, Mary Jacoby) that can be found; of which more will be discussed in follow up posts. The other two founders, however, have a remarkably small online footprint considering their histories:

Peter Fritsch is a partner at Fusion GPS, a commercial research firm located in washington DC. Previously, he spent 15 years at The Wall Street Journal, serving as bureau chief in Mexico, Brazil, South and Southeast Asia and Northern Europe. His last post was as the DC's bureau's national security editor.

Wilson Center

Thomas Catan
Reporter, The Wall Street Journal.
Thomas Catan is a Staff Reporter in the Washington bureau of The Wall Street Journal covering money and politics. Previously at The Wall Street Journal, he worked as a legal affairs reporter covering the Justice Department and as Spain correspondent based in Madrid. At the Financial Times, he worked as an investigative reporter, energy reporter, and as a correspondent in Buenos Aires and New York. His articles have appeared in other international publications including The Economist and he has made frequent appearances on broadcast media, including CNN, CNBC and the BBC. Mr. Catan is British and Mexican and is a graduate of the London School of Economics.

Wall Street Journal

In looking a bit closer at the business side of Fusion GPS, one will find that Fusion GPS is actually a branch of BEAN LLC:

BEAN LLC branch
Company Number
EXTUID_2909265
Native Company Number
L53032
Status
Active
Incorporation Date
15 November 2010 (almost 7 years ago)
Company Type
Limited Liability Company
Jurisdiction
District of Columbia (US)
Branch
Branch of BEAN LLC (Delaware (US))
Registered Address
• [redacted by OP]
Alternative Names
• FUSION GPS (trading name)
• Fusion GPS (trading name)
Agent Name
GLENN SIMPSON
Agent Address
[redacted by OP]
Directors / Officers
• GLENN SIMPSON, agent
• Simpson, Glenn, governor
• Simpson, Glenn, governor
Registry Page
corponline.dcra.dc.gov...

Open Corporates

What makes this interesting to me is that this is listed as a branch of the main company of BEAN LLC, the specifics of which are here:

BEAN LLC
Company Number
4854128
Incorporation Date
29 July 2010 (over 7 years ago)
Company Type
Limited Liability Company
Jurisdiction
Delaware (US)
Agent Name
HARVARD BUSINESS SERVICES, INC
Agent Address
[redacted by OP]
Directors / Officers
• HARVARD BUSINESS SERVICES, INC, agent
Source Delaware Department of State: Division of Corporations, www.corp.delaware.gov... 29 Jul 2016

Open Corporates

What this shows is that Fusion GPS is a subsidiary of a larger company.

Recently, Fusion GPS filed the following:

PLAINTIFF’S RENEWED APPLICATION FOR A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER AND MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION

The above motion is Fusion GPS attempting to prevent access to their bank records in response to a subpoena issued by congressman Nunez in order to further the House Intelligence committee investigation. This is despite the fact that it was reported that Fusion GPS had come to an agreement with congressman Nunes

What more is there yet to be revealed in regards to who paid Fusion GPS and why those actions were taken?

Further posts in this thread will contain more details related to the entities listed above.

The Steele Dossier

A selection of related ATS threads, in no particular order:

U.S. Intelligence Communities and Legislature Failed Attempt to Dismantle Trump Presidency

PROMIS Inslaw Clinton Systematics FusionGPS all related...is this the missing link?

REPORT: Barack Obama Paid Nearly $1 Million To Firm That Created Fake Trump Dossier

Clinton and DNC Paid For Research That Led To Russian Dossier

Washington Free Beacon Oringinal Funders of Fusion GPS Research

Fusion GPS Founder Met With Russian Operative Before And After Trump Tower Meeting

BUSTED: Bill Kristol Linked to Fusion GPS Hiring by Free Beacon; Never Trump GOPers

Sketchy firm behind Trump dossier is stalling investigators

Why the Dossier may be the most serious political scandal the US has ever seen.

DJT JR Was Set Up by the DNC. Russian Lawyer worked for Fusion GPS, Group behind phony Dossier

Thank you for your consideration.

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

I knew Glenn Simpson left WSJ in 2009 and I was assuming that's when Fusion GPS was founded. But it looks like there was a company in between:

Two WSJ reporters launch new company, Politco, 2009-03-21

Wall Street Journal reporters Sue Schmidt and Glenn Simpson are leaving the paper to launch a new company where they’ll do investigative work for private clients.

It's a big loss for the Journal, and could be a harbinger of things to come, as investigative reporters dealing with less space in major newspapers begin looking outside the industry.

In addition to the new company, SNS Global LLC, the two top journalists will also be affiliated with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, a nonprofit foundation focused on security issues. (Former Washington Post investigative reporter Douglas Farah, who’d covered the Colombian drug war and African blood diamonds, is also at the IASC).

Schmidt, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who only joined the paper last year from the Post, told POLITICO that she and Simpson are “sort of shifting gears.” However, she said, they’ll still be investigating areas they covered while doing traditional journalism — everything from counterterrorism to international organized crime.

Simpson, in an e-mail, simply stated that they were “going to do some public interest work and some consulting." He did not return calls seeking additional comment.

Tag for future reference.

Thanks for posting this.

a reply to: jadedANDcynical

What more is there yet to be revealed in regards to who paid Fusion GPS and why those actions were taken?

This is the part of the statement from Fusion GPS's lawyer and some relevant details as reported by Daily Caller (Chuck Ross):

Fusion GPS And House Intel Committee Renew Battle Over Bank Records

The committee, chaired by California Rep. Devin Nunes, subpoenaed TD Bank for Fusion’s records early last month. The bank was poised to hand over the documents, but the two sides reached a last-minute settlement on Oct. 27.

“None of those demands are pertinent to the Committee’s ‘Russia investigation,’ and disclosure of the documents would cause irreparable harm to Plaintiff by destroying the confidentiality of its business with its clients and contractors and by violating Plaintiff’s First Amendment rights to free speech and free association,” Fusion’s lawyers argue.

They called the subpoena “overbroad” and intended “to harm Plaintif

As part of its Oct. 27 agreement, House Intel demanded that TD Bank produce 112 of 400 Fusion GPS bank records in its possession.

Lawyers for the two sides held a phone conference on Thursday to negotiate terms of the request. Fusion’s lawyers urged the committee’s attorneys to narrow or withdraw the request for the bank documents. But counsel for the House panel said they were “not in a position to accept [Plaintiff’s] suggestion that it withdraw its request for these specified transactions, which are necessary for its investigation.”

Fusion’s lawyers say that the House committee seeks records of its bank transactions with 10 law firms, as well as with unnamed media companies and journalists.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Fusion’s lawyers say that the House committee seeks records of its bank transactions with 10 law firms, as well as with unnamed media companies and journalists.

Maybe that is where the Russians are hiding

a reply to: theantediluvian

This is new to me as well. Thank you very much for the info!

SNS GLOBAL LLC

Company Number
4665273
Incorporation Date
13 March 2009 (over 8 years ago)
Company Type
Limited Liability Company
Jurisdiction
Delaware (US)
Agent Name
UNASSIGNED AGENT
Agent Address
NullValue
Directors / Officers

UNASSIGNED AGENT, agent

Source Delaware Department of State: Division of Corporations, www.corp.delaware.gov... 27 Sep 2017

Open Corporates

According to the above, the company is still active.

And

The International Assessment and Strategy Center is a United States-based think tank whose declared purpose is to analyze "medium and long-term security issues and their impact on the security of the United States and her key interests and allies." Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the Center undertakes both open source and classified work on behalf of United States government agencies, and non-governmental organizations.[2] Officially non-partisan, the Center's policy orientation has been generally geared toward a "robust national security posture" and its scholars have consistently expressed a "pro-Taiwan" viewpoint.[3]
Current and former staff

Jeffrey Breinholt[4]
Douglas Farah[5]
Arthur Waldron
Glenn R. Simpson

Wikipedia

The website linked in the above-referenced wikipedia article redirects to the following:

About Us

eResources is a full-service technology firm, providing digital media solutions, strategic planning & consulting, creative design, online application management, and IT services to a diverse client base.

None of the people listed in the wikipedia article are among the current leadership at the site for which the IASC redirects to:

Dusty Gulleson...

Daniel Cahya...

Michael Toguchi...

Elsewhere, I find the following:

The International Assessment and Strategy Center (IASC) is a think tank that purports to focus on “medium and long-term security issues and their impact on the security of the United States and her key interests and allies.”[1] IASC was founded in 2004 by national security consultant Thor Ronay, a former executive vice president of Frank Gaffney’s Center for Security Policy and a member of the advisory board of the neoconservative Family Security Matters.[2]

Right Web

At the above page, Glenn R Simpson is listed on the right hand side of the page under "Team Members (as of 2015)"

Just putting this vid news YT in Oh and this is new

Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson struck a deal on Wednesday to testify voluntarily before the House Intelligence Committee next week to discuss his opposition research firm’s involvement in the Steele dossier. Simpson and his lawyer met with members of the committee for several hours to hammer out a deal for his closed-door testimony. The Daily Caller was informed that Simpson had indicated prior to Wednesday’s meeting that he would plead the Fifth during his deposition, just as his two co-founders, Peter Fritsch and Thomas Catan, did during interviews last month. But as part of the deal struck Wednesday, Simpson will not plead the Fifth. Simpson’s move comes amid a tense legal battle over Fusion’s bank records. On Friday, Fusion filed papers in federal court in Washington, D.C. asking a judge to issue a temporary restraining order preventing its bank from releasing records related to financial transactions it has had with “any law firm, ‘media company’ or journalist with which it has worked.”

dailycaller.com...

Today, Fusion GPS lost it's motion to quash bank records subpoena.
Party's over, what will they do now?

I'm sure The Devil is in the details of the deposits.

originally posted by: burntheships
Today, Fusion GPS lost it's motion to quash bank records subpoena.
Party's over, what will they do now?

I'm sure The Devil is in the details of the deposits.

Pandora's Box opening slowly....

a reply to: xuenchen

So many things happening on this one day.

Jan 4th...fireworks!

a reply to: xuenchen

I'm so excited!!