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.

House narrowly backs allowing troops, Pentagon workers to carry personal guns on military bases

Progressive wave crashes in Sun Belt battleground as moderate holds his seat

House GOP votes to punt government shutdown battle to after November midterms

Woman’s remains identified by DNA in Virginia, exposing second alleged murder linked to same 4 suspects

Mamdani goes back on campaign promise, says NYC can’t arrest Netanyahu

Watch: Leftist Witness Confused by Jasmine Crockett’s Wild ‘Racism’ Claim About the World Cup Final

Alleged ‘mime’ stalker stripped to underwear, covered himself in cooking oil: officials

Watch: Dog Moves Like Lightning to Protect Her Boy from Charging Black Bear and Gets the Job Done

David Hogg Rips DNC’s Campaign Arm as ‘Evil’ and Says Top Party Fundraisers ‘Pick Terrible Candidates’

Slack messages released by Rand Paul appear to show authors of key COVID-19 origin paper held private doubts

WATCH: Smithsonian director pressed on woke exhibits: ‘Is Mickey Mouse racist?’

Peter Navarro contempt of Congress conviction upheld by appeals court

FBI Director Kash Patel to Make Rare Trip to Russia: Report

Todd Blanche faces lingering GOP holdouts for attorney general post over ‘anti-weaponization fund’

Zelensky sacks Ukrainian Commander in Chief Syrsky in major military shake-up

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.