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.
Why Thanksgiving Is the One American Holiday the Left Can’t Stand
Days Before National Guardsmen Shot, Dem Senator Said Troops Deployed in Cities May Soon Fire on Civilians
Who is the DC National Guardsmen shooting suspect? What to know about Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal
Trump admin set to let protected status for 350,000 Haitian migrants expire in February
Parents Sue District After School Forced Daughter to Share Bed with ‘Trans’ Male Student on Trip
How the White House turkey pardon became an American tradition
California Democrats push pet projects despite $12 billion deficit blamed on Trump
Fox News ‘Antisemitism Exposed’ Newsletter: IDF finds huge Hamas terror tunnel under UN compound
Erika Kirk Signals Turning Point USA Is Prepared to Fully Support Vance in 2028
Congress investigates betting scandals rocking NBA and Major League Baseball following federal charges
Bodycam shows Charlotte train murder suspect’s interaction with police months before Iryna Zarutska stabbing
Louisiana death row inmate freed after nearly 30 years as overturned conviction upends case
Alleged National Guard shooter worked with US government entities in Afghanistan, including CIA: Ratcliffe
Alleged DC shooter entered US under Afghan resettlement push Mayorkas vowed would be done ‘swiftly and safely’
Trump pins DC National Guard shooting on Biden’s post-Afghanistan immigration policy
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.
