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.

Maduro-linked fugitive nabbed over alleged scheme to cash in on Venezuelans’ basic needs

Pregnant mom just 4 days from giving birth among 8 killed in Pennsylvania massacre: reports

Trump and Rubio weigh firing Kimberly Guilfoyle as misconduct and donor bailout allegations mount

Quiet part out loud: Anti-Israel mobs want one state called ‘Palestine,’ erasing Israel

Toddler stabbed in face, suspect previously deemed unfit for trial in attacks on 2 children: report

Breaking: Viral Recording Appears to Place Talarico at Ohio Psych Facility During Long Absence Despite Denial

Polls come under scrutiny as Democrats take the lead in midterm elections

Hurricane Isaias’ devastating aftermath comes into focus in striking images

Rescue expert warns FlyDubai hijacking attempt shows US, allies are ‘playing checkers’ against terror threat

‘Fraud’: Rubio Puts Woke So-Called Human Rights Group on Blast for Stunning US-Israel Hypocrisy

WATCH: CDC director discusses US government response to Russian plague concerns: ‘We are protected’

NYT Writer Claims ‘Combustible’ Sophie Cunningham Is ‘Just Too Much’ to Be Caitlin Clark’s Teammate

Chick-fil-A Takes Stand Against AI Trend McDonald’s Embraced, Holds the Line on ‘Human to Human’ Service

T-Mobile, AT&T Share Prices Plummet as Musk Makes Move to Shake Up the Industry

Trump announces immediate energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine

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.