Barr: ‘Very Unusual’ For FBI To Rely On Steele Dossier Given ‘Clear Mistakes’

Attorney General William Barr said in an interview that aired Friday that he is investigating what role the Steele dossier played in the Russia probe, and that the salacious document had “a number of clear mistakes.”

“It’s a very unusual situation to have opposition research like that, especially one that on its face had a number of clear mistakes and a somewhat jejune analysis,” Barr told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer.

“And to use that to conduct counterintelligence against an American political campaign is a strange — would be strange development.”

In the interview, Barr spoke at length about an inquiry he launched at the Justice Department into the origins of the Russia investigation. He told The Wall Street Journal in an interview that the investigation is also focusing on what information U.S. intelligence agencies gathered on Trump campaign associates before the FBI formally opened its investigation in July 2016.

Tim Walz Gets the Response He Deserves After Suddenly Saying He Wants to ‘Turn the Temperature Down’

‘SET UP’: Cohen Accuses Alvin Bragg, Letitia James of Coercing Him to Turn on Trump

Trump Gives Compassionate Response to Renee Good’s Father, Calls Her Likely ‘Wonderful’ Under ‘Normal Circumstances’

‘Where Was the Outrage?’: Father of 21-Year-Old Woman Killed By Illegal Rips Renee Good Protesters

One of Tyler Robinson’s last meals as a free man may have been a steak dinner — medium rare

Spanberger takes swipe at Trump admin, says Virginians worried about ‘recklessness coming out of Washington’

Police warn of ‘door kicking challenge’ that can turn viral prank ‘from funny to fatal’

Illegal immigrants rack up $1B+ in Texas hospital costs in FY 2025, total likely higher: report

US congressional delegation visits Denmark amid backlash over Trump’s push to acquire Greenland

81 GOP Lawmakers Just Voted to Fund an Elite Org That Exists to Elect Democrats and Suppress MAGA

Barbarians at the Gate: What Leftist in Minneapolis Said As Rioters Attempted to Storm ICE Facility Proves We Need the Insurrection Act Now

Fetterman’s former progressive backer says he ‘sold us out,’ escalates efforts to primary Democrat senator

‘Scourge’ of sexual predators, violent criminals being removed from Minneapolis streets despite backlash

Democrat insider rips Mamdani bidet hopes for Gracie Mansion, cites Trump White House bathroom reno hypocrisy

Somali City Council Member Resigns Days After Being Sworn in Over Criminal Charges

The FBI relied heavily on the Steele dossier, which was funded by the DNC and Clinton campaign, to obtain surveillance warrants against Carter Page, a Trump campaign adviser. But Republicans have accused the FBI of misleading the surveillance court by relying on the dossier given that its allegations were unverified.

Christopher Steele, a former British spy, claimed in the dossier that the Trump campaign was involved in a “well-developed conspiracy of co-operation” with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election. He alleged that Page and other Trump associates, like Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen, were at the center of the scheme.

But the special counsel’s report all but debunked the dossier’s central thesis, while dismissing one specific allegation about Cohen. The report said that prosecutors were unable to establish a conspiracy between the Trump team and Russia. It also said that Cohen did not visit Prague in August 2016, which is where the dossier claimed the former Trump lawyer went to pay off Russian hackers.

Steele and his client, Fusion GPS, shopped the dossier around to numerous journalists. Steele also provided memos from his dossier to the FBI and State Department.

Barr told Hemmer that the answers he has received so far about the origins of the investigations “aren’t sufficient.” He is reportedly working with the directors of the CIA, FBI and Office of National Intelligence on the inquiry.