The email discusses the use of "oppo research" in political campaigns to discredit opponents by obtaining and leaking sensitive information. It highlights two specific instances during the 2016 presidential campaign where such operations were used: one involving supporters of Donald Trump, and another involving supporters of Hillary Clinton. Both sides in the campaign appear to have been offered dirt on their opponents by Russian intelligence sources. The email suggests that paying ex-FSB officers for sensitive information is not a safe or legitimate practice as it involves espionage, and the only way for such a transaction to be carried out safely would be with the approval of the FSB itself.