The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has parted ways with Marc Elias, the party’s election lawyer who orchestrated the debunked Steele Dossier.
Elias and the DNC separated because of “strategic differences,” sources familiar with the deliberations told Punchbowl News. He began working for the party in 2009 and made $2 million from his work in the 2022 election cycle. (RELATED: Democrats Choose Crime-Ridden Chicago As Site For 2024 Convention)
🚨🚨 BREAKING NEWS in @PunchbowlNews AM:
The @DNC has cut ties with Democratic super lawyer @marceelias https://t.co/NHGCJha2UN
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) April 12, 2023
“The DNC works with a number of law firms on voting rights litigation, compliance, contracting and more. The DNC is appreciative of Elias Law Group’s years of work in service of the values we share,” a DNC spokesperson told the outlet.
Elias hired opposition research firm fusion GPS to create a dossier of then-candidate Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Russia when he was working for the DNC and Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential campaign.
The Steele Dossier was written by British intelligence officer Christopher Steele and it became central to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump colluded with Russia in the 2016 election. Mueller’s probe did not find collusion between Trump and the Russians and the dossier was eventually debunked.
Clinton’s campaign was fined by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in 2022 for classifying the dossier as a legal expense instead of opposition research. Elias and his law firm did not receive an FEC fine.
Elias racked up additional scandals as an election lawyer for Democratic candidates and organizations. He worked with Iowa Democratic congressional candidate Rita Hart in her 2021 attempt to overturn Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ six vote victory.
Moreover, Elias was sanctioned by a federal appeals court in 2021 for his legal challenge to Texas’ ban on straight-ticket voting, per the Washington Free Beacon.
His law firm will continue working with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Attorneys General Association and other party organizations, Punchbowl reported.
“Elias Law Group is proud of the work it has done for the DNC. We look forward to continuing to represent the Democratic Party as well as helping citizens vote, and progressives make change,” a spokesperson told the outlet.