NEW YORK (AP) — A conservative website with strong ties to the Republican establishment first retained the firm that investigated Donald Trump's past — and ultimately produced a dossier that alleged a compromised relationship between the president and the Kremlin.

The Washington Free Beacon on Friday confirmed that it funded research compiled by the firm Fusion GPS. The Free Beacon is funded largely by GOP donor Paul Singer, and it insists that none of the research it received appears in the dossier

The dossier was released later in the year detailing explosive allegations compiled by a former British spy about Trump, many uncorroborated.

Earlier in the week, reports revealed that the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee continued funding Fusion's work after the original GOP source lost interest.