Introduction
"Crime in Progress" tells the inside story of one of the biggest political scandals in modern American history. Written by Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch, the co-founders of private intelligence firm Fusion GPS, this book provides a gripping account of their investigation into Donald Trump's ties to Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign and beyond.
The authors never intended to write this book. However, the zealous efforts by Trump and his Congressional allies to discredit Fusion GPS ended up forcing a lot of previously confidential information into the public domain. This unexpected turn of events allowed Simpson and Fritsch to finally tell their side of the story.
What began as a routine opposition research project during the 2016 Republican primaries soon snowballed into something much bigger and more consequential. As Fusion GPS dug deeper into Trump's background, they uncovered troubling connections to Russia that raised serious national security concerns. Their work, including the infamous "Steele dossier" compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, would eventually help spark the FBI's Trump-Russia investigation and Robert Mueller's special counsel probe.
This book reads like a political thriller, full of twists and turns, clandestine meetings, and explosive revelations. At its center is the volatile and unpredictable figure of Donald Trump, whose rise to power set off a chain of events that continues to reverberate through American politics today. Through their firsthand account, Simpson and Fritsch shed new light on one of the most consequential political stories of our time.
The Origins of the Trump-Russia Investigation
A Routine Start to an Extraordinary Investigation
The investigation that would eventually rock American politics started in a surprisingly mundane way. In 2015, Fusion GPS was hired by the conservative publication Washington Free Beacon to conduct opposition research on Donald Trump during the Republican primaries. This type of work - digging up potentially damaging information on political opponents - is standard practice in modern campaigns.
Fusion GPS had only worked on one previous political campaign, investigating Mitt Romney's finances in 2012. But they viewed Trump as a similar prospect - a wealthy businessman with a complex financial history that was ripe for scrutiny. The Washington Free Beacon, run by Republican billionaire Paul Singer, gave Fusion a broad mandate to look into Trump's background.
Early Red Flags in Trump's Business Dealings
As soon as Simpson and Fritsch began investigating Trump, they uncovered troubling patterns in his business dealings. They were startled by the sheer number of lawsuits Trump had been involved in over the years. A clear pattern emerged of Trump announcing grandiose development projects, accumulating large investments, and then claiming to be just a licensor when the projects inevitably failed and investors sued.
One example was the Trump SoHo project in Manhattan, which was investigated for fraud in 2011. Trump and his children Don Jr. and Ivanka had to refund about $3 million to investors after exaggerating sales figures in the project's early stages. These types of questionable practices led Simpson and Fritsch to suspect Trump might be running elaborate scams.
Even more concerning were potential connections to organized crime, money laundering, and Russia. Trump's business partner Felix Sater emerged as a key figure of interest. Sater was a convicted felon with murky ties to Russia. Fusion suspected that a Kremlin-linked figure was behind a mysterious $50 million payment to Sater's company Bayrock, which may have ultimately benefited Trump.
The Investigation Continues Under New Democratic Funding
Despite uncovering this troubling information, Fusion's findings initially failed to make much of an impact. Trump's Republican rivals largely avoided the subject of his Russian ties, and the stories didn't resonate with the public amid the drama of the primary debates.
As Trump surged ahead in the primaries, it became clear he would likely secure the Republican nomination. This meant two things for Fusion GPS: they needed to continue and expand their investigation, but they also needed a new client to fund it.
On March 1, 2016 - "Super Tuesday" - Fusion reached out to Democratic Party contacts offering to continue their Trump research. They eventually found a willing client in the law firm Perkins Coie, which was representing the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Marc Elias, their contact at Perkins Coie, was particularly interested in Fusion's work on Trump's Russia connections. There were growing concerns that Russia might have leverage over Paul Manafort, who had recently joined Trump's campaign as an advisor and would later become campaign manager.
The Steele Dossier: Explosive Allegations Emerge
Bringing in a Former British Spy
To properly investigate the Russia angle for their new Democratic clients, Fusion GPS needed on-the-ground reporting from overseas. In May 2016, they turned to Christopher Steele, a highly regarded former British intelligence officer who now ran his own private consulting firm in London.
While Fusion's expertise was in document research, Steele had an extensive network of Russian sources he could tap for information. This combination of skills would prove to be explosive.
The Shocking First Report
Steele's very first report, delivered on June 20, 2016, contained allegations that would eventually become infamous worldwide. In just two and a half pages, Steele laid out a stunning claim: Russia, with Putin's direct approval, had been cultivating a relationship with Trump for five years. Their goal was to sow discord in the West and elevate Russia's global standing.
Most shocking of all was Steele's claim that the Russians possessed compromising material on Trump that could be used for blackmail. Specifically, Steele alleged the existence of a video showing Trump watching prostitutes urinate on a hotel bed in Moscow where Barack and Michelle Obama had once slept.
Simpson and Fritsch were astonished and skeptical of these explosive claims. But Steele firmly stood by his sources, insisting this was credible intelligence.
Alerting the FBI
The information in Steele's report was so sensitive and potentially important for national security that he felt compelled to alert the FBI. On July 5, 2016, Steele met with his FBI contact Michael Gaeta and shared his findings.
Gaeta thanked Steele and promised to escalate the matter within the FBI. But after this meeting, Steele was met with an eerie silence from the Bureau. He began to worry that they weren't taking the threat seriously enough.
The 2016 Campaign Heats Up
Trump and Putin's Mutual Admiration Grows
As the 2016 general election campaign got underway, the curious relationship between Trump and Putin became increasingly obvious. On June 17, Putin publicly stated that he would welcome a Trump presidency. In return, Trump seemed to be steering Republican policy in a more pro-Russia direction, including backing away from support for Ukrainian rebels fighting Russian forces.
Even more alarming were two major leaks of Democratic Party emails, first on June 25 and again on July 22, just before the Democratic National Convention. These leaks, which caused significant embarrassment for the Democrats, appeared to have Russian fingerprints all over them.
Trump's Shocking Public Statement
On July 26, just after the Democratic convention concluded, Trump made perhaps his most startling public statement yet on Russia. He explicitly invited Russia to track down 30,000 of Hillary Clinton's emails that had gone missing from her private server.
This open invitation for Russian interference in the election stunned observers, including Christopher Steele. The former spy decided to make a trip to Washington DC to ensure the FBI was taking his intelligence seriously. He met with his friend Bruce Ohr at the Justice Department, who was alarmed by Steele's information.
The FBI Takes Action
Unknown to Steele at the time, the FBI had in fact launched a counterintelligence investigation into potential links between the Trump campaign and Russia. Codenamed "Crossfire Hurricane," this probe would later become publicly known as the Trump-Russia investigation.
By early August, CIA Director John Brennan was thoroughly convinced that Russia was behind the Democratic email hacks, with the specific aim of helping Trump's campaign. Brennan briefed senior members of Congress but they decided to keep the information classified for the time being.
Brennan also contacted Russia's intelligence agency, the FSB, with a stern warning to cease their election interference. The Russians denied involvement, but subsequent reporting from Steele suggested they had been rattled by the warning. Putin even fired his chief of staff Sergei Ivanov, apparently over the partial exposure of their operation.
Media Struggles and an October Surprise
Fusion's Uphill Battle with the Press
As summer turned to fall, Simpson and Fritsch grew increasingly alarmed about the prospect of a Trump presidency. They tried hard to get the Trump-Russia story to break through in the media, but faced significant challenges.
In September, they convinced a reluctant Steele to travel to Washington to brief a select group of journalists in person. But with Steele protecting his sources, the reporters had no way to independently verify his explosive claims. Only one story emerged from these briefings - a piece by Michael Isikoff of Yahoo News about US intelligence agencies investigating Trump advisor Carter Page's links to the Kremlin.
A Pivotal Day: October 7, 2016
October 7, 2016 proved to be one of the most consequential days of the entire campaign. That afternoon, the US government finally confirmed publicly that Russia was behind the Democratic email hacks and was attempting to interfere in the election.
This major news was quickly overshadowed, however, by two even bigger stories that broke later that day. First, the Washington Post released the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape showing Trump boasting about sexually assaulting women. For a brief moment, it looked like Trump's campaign might be finished.
But later that same day, WikiLeaks released a trove of emails stolen from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. While this didn't completely neutralize the "Access Hollywood" story, its precise timing took some of the sting out of the Trump tape. It was clear that Russia was still working hard to tip the scales for Trump.
Comey's Intervention
Things got even worse for Clinton on October 28, just 11 days before Election Day. FBI Director James Comey sent a letter to Congress announcing that the Bureau was reopening its investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server, based on new information.
This announcement dominated news coverage in the final days of the campaign and dealt a devastating blow to Clinton. Many observers, including Simpson and Fritsch, believe Comey's intervention may have cost Clinton the election.
Adding insult to injury, the New York Times published a story on October 31 titled "Investigating Donald Trump, FBI Sees No Clear Link to Russia." This article, which contradicted much of what Fusion had uncovered, helped neutralize the Trump-Russia narrative just as voters were heading to the polls.
After the Election: Continuing the Investigation
A Renewed Sense of Urgency
Donald Trump's shocking victory in the November 8 election left the Fusion team reeling. But rather than give up, they felt an even greater sense of urgency about their work. Even though their Democratic funding had dried up, Simpson and Fritsch decided to continue investigating Trump's Russia ties pro bono.
They weren't the only ones still pushing on this front. Christopher Steele was also determined to sound the alarm about the president-elect's Russian connections. He confided his concerns to his mentor Sir Andrew Wood, a former British ambassador to Russia. Wood in turn discreetly informed David Kramer, an advisor to prominent Russia hawk Senator John McCain.
Believing McCain could put pressure on the FBI to take the matter seriously, Steele's team arranged for Kramer to view the dossier. However, Kramer was so alarmed by its contents that he began briefing others in Washington about it, contrary to Fusion's wishes that it remain confidential.
The Dossier Goes Public
On January 6, 2017, the US Intelligence Community released its official assessment that Russia had interfered in the election to help Trump win. Around this same time, FBI Director Comey briefed both outgoing President Obama and incoming President Trump about the existence of Steele's dossier.
But it wasn't until January 10 that the dossier's contents became public knowledge. On that day, BuzzFeed made the controversial decision to publish the full, unredacted dossier online. While this finally brought widespread attention to Trump's alleged Russia ties, it also exposed Steele's raw intelligence reports in a way he had never intended.
Steele was forced to go into hiding, fearing for his own safety and that of his sources. Meanwhile, Fusion GPS found itself under siege from Trump allies in Congress who were determined to discredit the dossier and its origins.
Investigations Continue as Presidency Begins
New Avenues of Inquiry
Despite the unwanted attention and legal pressure, Fusion GPS resolved to continue investigating Trump's Russian connections. They set up a new organization called The Democracy Integrity Project to channel funding from concerned donors, allowing them to keep Fusion and Orbis working on the case.
Some of their new areas of focus included:
- Deeper investigation into former campaign manager Paul Manafort's ties to Russia and Ukraine
- Looking into Maria Butina, a young Russian student with curious connections to the National Rifle Association
- Exploring whether Russia may have funneled money to Trump supporters through the NRA
Comey's Firing and the Mueller Probe
Meanwhile, the early months of Trump's presidency were chaotic, culminating in his shocking decision to fire FBI Director James Comey on May 9, 2017. While the White House initially claimed this was due to Comey's handling of the Clinton email investigation, Trump soon admitted it was related to the Russia probe, telling NBC's Lester Holt that firing Comey had relieved "great pressure because of Russia."
To Simpson, Fritsch, and many other observers, this seemed like a clear attempt by Trump to derail the FBI's investigation - and potential evidence that Russia did indeed have leverage over the president.
However, Comey's dismissal ultimately backfired on Trump. Just over a week later, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate Russian election interference and any links to the Trump campaign.
Legal Battles and Vindication
Fusion Under Fire
As Mueller's investigation got underway, Fusion GPS found itself under attack from Trump's allies in Congress. Two Republican committee chairmen - Chuck Grassley in the Senate and Devin Nunes in the House - subjected Fusion to intense scrutiny, insinuating that the firm itself may have been manipulated by Russia.
These efforts were aided by an awkward coincidence: one of the attendees at the infamous Trump Tower meeting, Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, had previously hired an American law firm that Fusion had done work for on an unrelated case. While this was purely coincidental, it looked suspicious and gave ammunition to Fusion's critics.
Simpson was forced to testify before multiple congressional committees and faced a protracted legal battle over subpoenas for Fusion's bank records. The firm was even briefly sued by Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer who had featured prominently in their investigation.
The Mueller Report
After nearly two years of investigation, Robert Mueller submitted his final report to Attorney General William Barr on March 22, 2019. Barr's initial summary downplayed the report's findings, claiming it did not establish collusion with Russia or obstruction of justice by Trump.
However, when the redacted report was released, it painted a far more damning picture. While it did not find sufficient evidence to charge a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, it detailed numerous contacts between Trump associates and Russians. It also laid out multiple instances where Trump had attempted to interfere with or derail the investigation.
Importantly, the report did not exonerate Trump, explicitly stating that it did not clear him of obstruction. Mueller later testified to Congress that a sitting president could not be criminally charged under Justice Department policy, limiting the scope of his conclusions.
Final Thoughts: Lessons and Warnings
Vindication for Fusion and Steele
In the view of Simpson and Fritsch, the core claims of Steele's dossier have largely been vindicated. While some specific allegations remain unproven (like the salacious "kompromat" video), the overarching narrative of Russian interference to help Trump has been confirmed by multiple investigations and the US Intelligence Community.
The authors argue that their work helped expose a genuine threat to American democracy, even if the full extent of Trump's ties to Russia may never be known. They maintain that the warning they sounded in 2016 remains just as urgent today.
Ongoing Threats to Election Integrity
Perhaps the most worrying conclusion drawn by Simpson and Fritsch is that the events of 2016 could easily happen again. They question whether adequate steps are being taken to prevent Russian or other foreign interference in future US elections.
The authors caution that the playbook used in 2016 - hacking, strategic leaks, social media manipulation - remains a potent threat. They argue that political polarization and distrust in institutions have only made the US more vulnerable to these tactics.
The Importance of Investigative Journalism
"Crime in Progress" also serves as a powerful argument for the crucial role of in-depth investigative journalism in a democracy. The authors, both former Wall Street Journal reporters, demonstrate how skilled researchers can uncover vital information that might otherwise remain hidden.
Their work shows that there are often important stories hiding in plain sight, buried in public records and obscure documents. By connecting the dots and following leads doggedly, investigators like those at Fusion GPS can bring to light issues of profound public importance.
Reflections on an Unexpected Journey
Simpson and Fritsch never imagined that their routine opposition research project would snowball into a years-long saga with such far-reaching consequences. Their experience shows how a small team of dedicated investigators can end up at the center of world-shaking events.
The authors reflect on the personal toll their work has taken, facing legal threats, media scrutiny, and even concerns for their physical safety. Yet they remain convinced of the importance of what they uncovered, even as the full ramifications continue to unfold.
Conclusion
"Crime in Progress" provides a gripping insider's account of one of the most consequential political investigations in modern American history. Through their meticulous research and dogged pursuit of leads, Glenn Simpson, Peter Fritsch, and their colleagues at Fusion GPS helped uncover a story with profound implications for US democracy and national security.
While the Trump-Russia saga is far from over, this book offers valuable insights into how the investigation unfolded and why it remains relevant today. Simpson and Fritsch make a compelling case that the threat of foreign election interference persists and requires ongoing vigilance.
Ultimately, "Crime in Progress" is a testament to the power of investigative journalism and the importance of asking difficult questions, even in the face of powerful opposition. As America continues to grapple with the aftermath of the 2016 election and looks ahead to future contests, the lessons from this remarkable investigation remain as vital as ever.