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.

Virginia Democrats move to seize redistricting power, opening door to 4 new left-leaning seats

Federal judge restricts ICE agents amid ongoing Minneapolis area protests

IRS confirms Trump-ordered $1,776 ‘Warrior Dividend’ for 1.45M troops is tax-free

Michael Cohen says NY prosecutors ‘pressured and coerced’ him into anti-Trump testimony

911 transcripts, documents detail chaotic scene after ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good

Florida GOP candidate wants 50% ‘sin tax’ on OnlyFans creators to fight ‘cultural degeneracy’

California man arrested for allegedly making online death threats against JD Vance during Disneyland visit

Illegal alien with 24 convictions among ‘worst of the worst’ arrested in Minnesota ICE operation: DHS

CNN Forced to Admit Trump’s Efforts Have Already Had a ‘Huge’ Impact on Housing Affordability

Mother of Hunter Biden’s Youngest Daughter Asks Judge to Jail Him for ‘Ghosting’ Girl

Elderly Man Sues McDonald’s, Says Staff Failed to Act Before Wife Was Killed by Vagrant in Unprovoked Drive-Thru Attack

Schumer reveals ‘bipartisan’ plans to reverse DOGE cuts as lawmakers work through funding push

Cat caught on camera starting dangerous kitchen fire after jumping on stove and turning on burner

Mamdani announces $2.1M settlement with major landlord as tenants describe ‘nightmare’ conditions

Noem declares America’s border ‘most secure’ in nation’s history under Trump administration

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.