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.

Thune plans to run for Republican minority leader after Dem’s midterm takeover

Abdul El-Sayed delivers major blow to GOP in Michigan after bruising Senate race

Breaking: Democrats Flip Senate Seat in State Trump Won by Double Digits

Mamdani-Backed Democratic Socialist Wins House Seat

Democrats Win Texas Governor’s Race for First Time in 30 Years as Gina Hinojosa Defeats Greg Abbott

Breaking: Democrats Deal Massive Blow to Republicans, Win Control of the Senate

Democrat Gina Hinojosa stuns Abbott, makes history as first Latina Texas governor

Trump’s gamble on Ken Paxton backfires as Democrat pulls off historic Texas Senate upset

‘Planted Fake Corpses’: Former El-Sayed Campaign Worker Charged in Alleged Conspiracy to Victimize Supporters of Israel

Teen previously convicted in shooting accused of killing pregnant mom of 4 inside Spirit Halloween

Power Outage Hits Key Michigan County Shortly Before Polls Close

Democrats score major Senate victory as Pappas defeats Trump-backed Republican in key battleground

Democrats hold firm in Georgia as Republicans fail to flip prized Senate seat

Man, 86, and his dog rescued hundreds of miles off California coast after going silent for 2 months

Michigan voters split between party loyalty and Senate candidates in closely watched race

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.