I view this as something of a false flag operation. Nunes seemed to say the same thing during his interview on Fox this morning. He said it was hard to believe that Trubnikov, Brennan's equivalent, would be acting as a source. If that were the case, he would be dead by now. The so-called Steele dossier was really a product of multiple sources including Nellie Ohr, Sid Blumenthal, Steele, Glenn Simpson, and others. Steele was selected to give it "gravitas." IMO it was all made up without the use of Russian sources. Brennan and Clapper are probably the sources for this being a Russian disinformation campaign.
As usual you are right there. IMHO, the same people that do other ops year after year were tasked with doing this op. Not really a tough job for those who hide in the shadows and are seldom seen.Take Misfud for example. He's CIA along with a number of others who played a part,some parts bigger than others.
Winston Churchill's quotation, made in a radio broadcast in October 1939: "I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest."