Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence agent who compiled the hoax dossier alleging ties between President Donald Trump and Russia, refuses to cooperate with the Department of Justice’s investigation into the origins of the Obama administration’s spying on then-candidate Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, according to Reuters.
A Reuters source close to Steele’s private investigation outfit, Orbis Business Intelligence, said the ex-spy has chosen not to answer questions from Connecticut’s U.S. Attorney John Durham, who was recently appointed by Attorney General William Barr to examine the probe’s origins. Reports of Steele’s unwillingness to cooperate with the Justice Department comes days after President Trump gave Barr authority to declassify intelligence materials related to the probe and ordered several law enforcement agencies, including the CIA and FBI to cooperate with Durham’s review.
In 2016, Steele was hired by the opposition research firm Fusion GPS tasked by attorneys for the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign to dig up dirt on President Trump. Steele’s dossier was used by the FBI to obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to surveil members of the Trump campaign, namely, onetime Trump campaign foreign policy advisor Carter Page. FBI officials did not disclose explicitly to the FISA court that the dossier was paid for by the DNC or the Clinton campaign. However, the bureau did indicate that the document was produced as opposition research.
Wife of former Gov Terry McAuliffe jumps into crowded Dem congressional primary race
Hawley introduces bill to strip FDA approval from ‘inherently dangerous’ abortion pill
Gene Simmons tells celebrities ‘shut the f*** up’ about politics
Developing: FBI Took Terabytes of Arizona Election Data After Reviewing ‘Alarming’ Report Citing Opened Pallets Full of Blank Ballots
Starmer was warned about ‘reputational risk’ of Peter Mandelson’s Epstein ties, files show
Foreign-backed group serves as bridge between GOP and Russia-friendly Europeans
Trump ally Clay Fuller advances in Georgia fight for MTG’s former seat
DOJ leader swats back DNC election security suit, mocks demands as kid’s ‘tooth fairy’ wish list
Thune Signals SAVE Act Is Dead in the Senate – If You Skip Voting in Primaries, You Own a Share of the Blame
Former Kentucky cheerleader indicted on manslaughter charge after newborn son found dead in closet
Sheriff running Nancy Guthrie case responds after report reveals unseemly exit from first policing job
Three cargo ships damaged by ‘projectiles’ in Strait of Hormuz
US Moves Against Iranian Mine Ships, Sinks Over a Dozen: Reports
Texas conservatives tout record-breaking school choice signups after long battle with teachers unions
Scott moves to bypass teachers unions, send federal school funds straight to parents if classrooms close
In a recent interview with the Fox News Channel, Barr said his department is examining if “government officials abused their power and put their thumb on the scale” at the start of the FBI’s counterintelligence operation.
“I’ve been trying to get answers to the questions, and I’ve found that a lot of the answers have been inadequate, and some of the explanations I’ve gotten don’t hang together. In a sense, I have more questions today than when I first started,” the attorney general told anchor Bill Hemmer.
“The source close to Steele’s company said Steele would not cooperate with Durham’s probe but might cooperate with a parallel inquiry by the Justice Department’s Inspector General into how U.S. law enforcement agencies handled pre-election investigations into both Trump and Clinton,” according to Reuters.
Story cited here.
