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35 important to tell the President? Particularly when you weren't going to tell him the rest of the dossier -- about the rest of the dossier.

Mr. Well, I don't recall saying to him -- and I don't read what I wrote here immediately afterwards to say this either -- that it wouldn't be reported. What I mean by "killed" is they'd be severely criticized for reporting it, as I believe -- I forget the outfit that did it -- Buzzfeed, I think, was severely criticized for reporting it.

So I wasn't telling him it's not going to come out. We're warning him that it may come out.

Mr. In this meeting, did you tell the President who had financed the dossier?

Mr. No.

Mr. Were you concerned at all that the President might get the wrong impression, that maybe, in fact, you were -- you had this important information, that some way you could hold that over the President's head? Were you concerned about that? And did you convey it in such a way as to make sure he didn't go away with that impression?

Mr. I was very concerned that he might interpret it as an effort to pull a J. Edgar Hoover on him.

Mr. And how did you convey it, then, and -- what did you say to make sure he understood it in the proper context, or at least the context you were trying to convey it?