Peter Fritsch Books
Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch are former investigative journalists for The Wall Street Journal and co-founders of Fusion GPS, a research and strategic intelligence firm based in Washington, D.
Known for: Crime in Progress: Inside the Steele Dossier and the Fusion GPS Investigation of Donald Trump
Books by Peter Fritsch
Crime in Progress: Inside the Steele Dossier and the Fusion GPS Investigation of Donald Trump
Crime in Progress is an insider account of one of the most disputed and politically explosive investigations in recent American history. Written by Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch, co-founders of the research firm Fusion GPS, the book explains how routine opposition research into Donald Trump’s business and political background evolved into a deeper inquiry involving Russian connections, financial patterns, intelligence concerns, and the now-famous Steele dossier. Rather than presenting the dossier as a piece of political mythology, the authors frame it as one part of a larger mosaic of troubling evidence that deserved serious scrutiny. What makes the book matter is not only its subject, but its perspective. Simpson and Fritsch were not outside commentators watching events unfold from a distance. They were directly involved in gathering information, hiring former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, interacting with journalists and investigators, and then enduring the backlash once the dossier became public. Their background as veteran investigative reporters gives the book a distinctive tone: part memoir, part defense, part lesson in how complex investigations actually work. For readers trying to understand the intersection of politics, media, intelligence, and disinformation in the Trump era, Crime in Progress offers a valuable and provocative firsthand narrative.
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Fusion GPS Grew From Journalistic Instincts
Big political stories rarely begin as grand conspiracies; they often begin with a reporter’s simple suspicion that something does not add up. That is the spirit Simpson and Fritsch say gave birth to Fusion GPS. After long careers as investigative journalists, they saw traditional newsroom resources ...
From Crime in Progress: Inside the Steele Dossier and the Fusion GPS Investigation of Donald Trump
The Trump Inquiry Began Conventionally
One of the book’s most important claims is that the Trump investigation did not begin as a secret Democratic plot, but as ordinary opposition research funded first by Republican interests. Simpson and Fritsch describe how Fusion GPS was initially retained by a conservative publication tied to anti-T...
From Crime in Progress: Inside the Steele Dossier and the Fusion GPS Investigation of Donald Trump
Christopher Steele Added Human Intelligence
Documents can reveal structure, but human sources often reveal intent. Simpson and Fritsch present Christopher Steele as the person who added that second dimension to their work. A former British intelligence officer with experience on Russia, Steele was brought in not as a political operative, they...
From Crime in Progress: Inside the Steele Dossier and the Fusion GPS Investigation of Donald Trump
The Dossier Was A Starting Point
Public debate often treated the Steele dossier as if it were supposed to function like a finished prosecutor’s brief. Simpson and Fritsch insist that this misunderstands both its purpose and its format. The dossier, as they describe it, was a series of intelligence memos containing leads, patterns, ...
From Crime in Progress: Inside the Steele Dossier and the Fusion GPS Investigation of Donald Trump
Russia Was The Larger Story
The authors repeatedly argue that the dossier became a distraction from the bigger issue: Russia’s broad campaign to influence American politics. In their view, fixation on the dossier’s most sensational allegations allowed critics and commentators alike to sidestep the central question of why Russi...
From Crime in Progress: Inside the Steele Dossier and the Fusion GPS Investigation of Donald Trump
Law Enforcement Faced A Difficult Choice
A recurring theme in Crime in Progress is that federal investigators were placed in an unenviable position. According to Simpson and Fritsch, once credible information suggested possible links between a presidential candidate’s circle and a hostile foreign power, the FBI and intelligence agencies co...
From Crime in Progress: Inside the Steele Dossier and the Fusion GPS Investigation of Donald Trump
About Peter Fritsch
Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch are former investigative journalists for The Wall Street Journal and co-founders of Fusion GPS, a research and strategic intelligence firm based in Washington, D.
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Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch are former investigative journalists for The Wall Street Journal and co-founders of Fusion GPS, a research and strategic intelligence firm based in Washington, D.
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