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.
Evacuation Ordered After Canadian-Owned Gas Pipeline Springs Major Leak in US
Former NBA Star Posts Shocking, Manic Videos Asking His Coach for ‘Help’
NFL owner’s prostitution arrest puts top Dem committee on defense: ‘So desperate for cash’
Former Texas high school teacher arrested after probe into inappropriate student relationship
Jelly Roll Doubles Down, Tells Trump Supporters to Stop Listening to His Music
Judge clears path for ICE agent accused in Minnesota shooting case to leave Texas jail
Watch: UK Royal Family Stages Incredible Tribute to Dolly Parton at Buckingham Palace
America’s heartland comes face-to-face with 9/11 history as 25th anniversary nears
Democrat officials charged for allegedly scamming COVID relief funds
Trump scores federal court win against House progressive accused of assaulting ICE
Dem Candidate, Music Superstar With Sick Sexual History Defended Fellow Musician’s Video In Which He Gropes and Kills Woman
Breaking: ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Star Tim Curry Dies at 80
Netanyahu claims his son was targeted for assassination by Iran
Felony charges against Golden Gate Bridge protesters dropped
How JD Vance worked a private channel with his fantasy football buddy to try to secure a Canada trade deal
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.
