WaPo bombshell report reveals who paid for Trump dossier

A bombshell report from the Washington Post reveals that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee paid for the controversial "Trump dossier" that has been the subject of much speculation and political intrigue.

What does the report say?

The report claims that Marc E. Elias paid Fusion GPS to conduct the research that led to the production of the Trump dossier. Elias is the lawyer representing Hillary Clinton's campaign and the DNC.

Fusion GPS then paid a former British spy to put together the dossier. It was passed around media and political circles but wasn't published until CNN reported on its existence, and Buzzfeed took the extraordinary step to publish it despite it not being substantiated.

Buzzfeed was excoriated for the move that many saw as contrary to journalistic standards. Buzzfeed defended publishing the salacious dossier by saying it was in the public interest, and that readers could decided for themselves if it had any validity.

What is the Trump dossier?

The dossier was compiled by a former British spy and purportedly presents the damaging information that the Russian government had in order to compromise then-candidate Donald Trump.

The dossier has since been partly discredited, though CNN reported that some intelligence agencies found other information in the document could be substantiated. Fusion GPS had been resisting attempts by congressional investigatory committees to reveal their bank records so that the source of the dossier could be discovered.

How are the FBI and James Comey involved?

After the election, the FBI under former Director James Comey agreed to fund Steele, the British spy, but reneged on the deal after he was identified in the press as the source of the Trump dossier.