President Trump potentially viewing opposition research information from foreign governments is very different than Hillary Clinton utilizing the Christopher Steele dossier, according to a Democratic Party official.
The dossier was the result of the Clinton campaign hiring an American opposition research firm and not of direct contact with Russian sources, New York State Democratic Party chairman Jay Jacobs claimed Thursday on "Tucker Carlson Tonight."
"There's a difference between the Steele dossier and how it came about and what happened here in this circumstance or in this hypothetical," Jacobs said, referring to comments the president made to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos.
DEMS HAMMER TRUMP FOR OPENNESS TO FOREIGN CAMPAIGN INTEL, STAY SILENT ON CLINTON, DNC OUTREACH
Trump told Stephanopoulos he would be willing to listen to foreign governments if they approached him with information on a political rival. The president added he would not necessarily contact the FBI if such an approach was made.
Jacobs alluded to the fact Fusion GPS was initially hired by the Washington Free Beacon, telling host Tucker Carlson, "the difference simply is that this was an opposition research project that frankly was started by a conservative media outlet to begin with."
"It was then handed over to the Democrats. An American outlet, Fusion GPS, started by a Wall Street Journal reporter... who had this effort on to look at Republican candidates. Steele was engaged by them," the party official said.
Carlson pushed back, noting Steele was himself a foreign intelligence officer, albeit retired.
"He was a career British intelligence officer," Carlson said.
"Steele said the information in the dossier... came from Russia. The Hillary Clinton campaign and the DNC used information from Russians, from Russian intel sources, from the Russian government, to attack Trump."
Jacobs responded, reiterating Clinton's team did not deal directly with Russian actors in the Steele situation.
"It's not about finding out the information. It's who approached who," Jacobs claimed.
"The Hillary campaign went to an opposition research firm. They happened to engage Steele - a whole different scenario here between Russian intelligence officers coming in and contacting the Trump campaign.
"You had a hostile adversary approach a campaign and you have a president saying he doesn't have to go to the FBI - that's wrong."
Republicans have pressed for answers on the Clinton campaign and DNC's role in the creation of the Steele dossier.
Fox News' Gregg Re contributed to this report.
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