MR. SIMPSON: I was generally aware of Chris' history. You know, because of the strictures on government work, when you're involved in intelligence and talking about it, we never discussed in any great detail what kind of work he did. And at least publicly it was -- even though he had been exposed in a prior leak by a former government agent over there, so it was, in fact, in the public domain that he had worked for British Intelligence, he generally didn't talk about his government work other than the way you would if you formerly worked for the government. I used to work for the government, you know. Sometimes he would say foreign office. But we had mutual friends who were familiar with his background.
MR. SCHIFF: Just to clarify, Mr. Gowdy, you're not confirming or denying, you're just asking?
MR. GOWDY: I'm just asking what he said.
MR. SIMPSON:
MR. GOWDY: Did you ever have any conversations with the FBI?
MR. SIMPSON: Not about this, no.
MR. GOWDY: Did Chris Steele go to Russia as part of this project?
MR. SIMPSON: No, sir.
MR. GOWDY: How do you know that?
MR. SIMPSON: Well, that's what he told me. I mean, assuming -- unless it was a covert thing that he was keeping from his client, he would have billed me for it.
UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE
