Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence agent who compiled the hoax dossier alleging ties between President Donald Trump and Russia, refuses to cooperate with the Department of Justice’s investigation into the origins of the Obama administration’s spying on then-candidate Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, according to Reuters.
A Reuters source close to Steele’s private investigation outfit, Orbis Business Intelligence, said the ex-spy has chosen not to answer questions from Connecticut’s U.S. Attorney John Durham, who was recently appointed by Attorney General William Barr to examine the probe’s origins. Reports of Steele’s unwillingness to cooperate with the Justice Department comes days after President Trump gave Barr authority to declassify intelligence materials related to the probe and ordered several law enforcement agencies, including the CIA and FBI to cooperate with Durham’s review.
In 2016, Steele was hired by the opposition research firm Fusion GPS tasked by attorneys for the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign to dig up dirt on President Trump. Steele’s dossier was used by the FBI to obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to surveil members of the Trump campaign, namely, onetime Trump campaign foreign policy advisor Carter Page. FBI officials did not disclose explicitly to the FISA court that the dossier was paid for by the DNC or the Clinton campaign. However, the bureau did indicate that the document was produced as opposition research.
April showdowns: 4 key races to watch this month that will test Trump, GOP grip on power
Trump admin unlawfully terminated legal status of migrants who used Biden-era app, judge rules
Alabama Gov Kay Ivey hospitalized following minor procedure, says she is determined to make speedy recovery
After Years of Bashing Straight, Christian, White Men, Dems Reportedly Conclude They Need One to Win WH
Florida Supreme Court keeps ex-cop’s execution on hold after DNA test fails to give a clear answer
Experts Respond to Claims That the Bullet That Killed Charlie Kirk ‘Did Not Match the Rifle’ Allegedly Used by Tyler Robinson
Wisconsin mother stabs teen daughter to death to ‘protect’ her from Elon Musk: authorities
Trump signs executive order overhauling mail-in voting in major election integrity push
Alert: Judge Rules Trump Can’t Build Ballroom, Even with Private Donations, Without Outside Approval
Man charged in ‘particularly heinous’ killing of DC resident found bound and set on fire in ritzy area: police
Family ramps up search for missing coffee shop owner, mother of two, urges public to check cameras
Breaking: Markets Skyrocket as Trump Looks to Iran Endgame, With the Dow up Over 1,000 Points, S&P Booming
State Department Reopens Embassy in Venezuela Following Maduro Capture
Trump says he will attend Supreme Court oral arguments on birthright citizenship challenge
Illegal alien murder suspect avoided system as ICE pushes Dem governor to keep him locked up
In a recent interview with the Fox News Channel, Barr said his department is examining if “government officials abused their power and put their thumb on the scale” at the start of the FBI’s counterintelligence operation.
“I’ve been trying to get answers to the questions, and I’ve found that a lot of the answers have been inadequate, and some of the explanations I’ve gotten don’t hang together. In a sense, I have more questions today than when I first started,” the attorney general told anchor Bill Hemmer.
“The source close to Steele’s company said Steele would not cooperate with Durham’s probe but might cooperate with a parallel inquiry by the Justice Department’s Inspector General into how U.S. law enforcement agencies handled pre-election investigations into both Trump and Clinton,” according to Reuters.
Story cited here.
