Democratic operative who pushed debunked Trump-Russia claims continued funding Steele and Fusion GPS last year

A nonprofit group run by a former top aide for Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein who has pushed debunked claims about a secret backchannel between the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank spent the post-2016 era funneling millions to Christopher Steele’s company and the opposition research firm Fusion GPS. 

Daniel Jones, lead author of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on the CIA’s interrogation program, founded the Democracy Integrity Project in January 2017. Tax records show he funded Steele, Fusion, and others, keeping a web of groups working and donor money flowing to the tune of millions of dollars for years, helping the groups continue their Russia-related research into 2020.

The filings contend the mission of the nonprofit is to provide research “to educate the public on matters such as foreign election interference, global extremism, corruption, and coordinated disinformation.” 

Tax records from the Democracy Integrity Project filed in November 2021 show the organization sent $521,000 for “research consulting” in 2020 to Walsingham Partners, which is co-owned by Steele.