A federal magistrate judge in Florida has turned down a bid by a Russian internet mogul to force BuzzFeed to detail how it obtained the dossier it published in January containing a variety of salacious claims about President Donald Trump’s connections to Russia.
The ruling was issued Thursday in connection with a libel suit Russian businessman Aleksej Gubarev filed in February alleging that he was defamed by BuzzFeed’s publication of assertions in the dossier that he and his businesses were involved in illicit support for the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his associates.
However, a lawyer for Gubarev told POLITICO Thursday that the dispute is moot because the Russian’s legal team has figured out who the source is.
“What the Court really said here is that before BuzzFeed could be required to tell us its source, we had to try to get the information from other places,” Gubarev attorney Val Gurvits said via email. “As it turns out, we were able to get the information we wanted and were actually in the process of withdrawing the motion when the decision issued.”
“I unfortunately can’t reveal it – that information was designated ‘Confidential attorneys eyes only,'” the lawyer said. “So while we know it, we can’t make it public as of yet.” He also declined to say who provided the information Gubarev’s team has been seeking.
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