Faced with libel lawsuit, dossier drafter Christopher Steele hedges on linking Trump to Russia

The Washington Times ^ | December 20, 2017 | Rowan Scarborough

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

Christopher Steele, the former British spy who fueled an ongoing investigation into President Trump’s administration, was a lot more confident of his charges when he wrote his now-notorious 2016 dossier than he is today in defending it in a libel lawsuit.

While Mr. Steele stated matter-of-factly in his dossier that collusion between Mr. Trump and the Russian government took place, he called it only “possible” months later in court filings. While he confidently referred to “trusted” sources inside the Kremlin, in court he referred to the dossier’s “limited intelligence.”

In recent weeks, the dossier of opposition research has taken on added importance in the debate over the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into suspected Russia coordination and whether it is biased against Trump people. Congressional Republicans are demanding that the FBI explain how the deeply contested, Democrat-financed document took on such importance in a major government investigation.

Mr. Steele wrote 35 pages of memos in which he said Trump aides were part of a vast conspiracy with Moscow to interfere in the election against Hillary Clinton. The unverified charges were spread by Fusion GPS, the Washington-based political research firm that first commissioned the report. Mr. Steele bragged to Mother Jones magazine that he started the Mueller investigation by convincing FBI agents that summer about the credibility of his dossier.

It was later revealed that the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton helped fund the dossier, meaning that in essence her paid agent was spreading unsubstantiated charges to get to the FBI to investigate her opponent, critics say.

Now that Mr. Steele must defend those charges in a London courtroom, his confidence level has shifted down several notches.

[InterceptPoint]

I suspect the Dossier was an FBI invention. It being ‘paid for’ by anyone is just a cover story and possibly some kind of money laundering.
++++
That fits with the facts. Talk about collusion if true.

[Texas Fossil]

I follow your logic. Not much I can say to dispute it.

It is just as big a problem with the Politicians. There are still some of those who are outside the group. But usually the newer members of Congress.

Cabal indeed.

[crager]

Apparently, the FBI and Mueller must all think the dossier is factual because non of them have outright discredited it even though it has been. You would think Mueller would investigate the dossier first and validate it before going on a wild goose chase.

[A_perfect_lady]

One memo also claimed that the Kremlin had compiled enough financial and personal information on Mr. Trump that it could blackmail the Republican nominee.

I really don't think anyone can blackmail Trump. He's like honey badger, and honey badger don't care.

[Sgt_Schultze]