Declassified footnotes from IG report show FBI was warned multiple times that Steele dossier might be Russian disinfo…

by The Right Scoop

The FBI either didn’t care or didn’t put much stock in warnings they received that Christopher Steele’s Trump dossier might be filled with Russian disinformation. I’m guesssing the former.

From Catherine Herridge:

@CBSNews obtains newly declassified footnotes IG report w/multiple warnings to FBI about dossier, Russian targeting, disinformation. Footnote 342 “two persons affiliated with (Russian Intel) were aware of Steele’s election investigation in early July 2016”

 
#FISA More from Footnote 342 “In late January 2017, a member of the Crossfire Hurricane team received information (redacted) that RIS (Russian Intel) may have targeted Orbis (redacted) and research all publicly available information about it.” Orbis is dossier author’s company.

 
#FISA declassified IG Horowitz footnote 347 obtained @CBSNews on Steele dossier sources “contacts between the sub-source and an individual in the Russian Presidential Administration in June/July 2016; (redacted) and the sub-subsource voicing strong support for Candidate Clinton”

 
#FISA Notable timing: June 2017 US report indicates individuals associated w/Russian intel knew about dossier research. Also June 2017, after appointment SC Mueller, DAG Rosenstein signs final @carterwpage FISA renewal, according to declassified footnotes first obtained @CBSNews

Here’s more from Herridge:

CBS NEWS – Newly declassified footnotes from a government report, first obtained by CBS News, show that despite multiple warnings about Russian targeting and the potential for disinformation, the FBI relied on the controversial Steele dossier to secure surveillance warrants for a Trump campaign aide before and after the 2016 election.

Among the revelations, a 2017 U.S. intelligence community report indicated that two individuals “affiliated” with Russian intelligence knew of former British spy Christopher Steele’s “election investigation” in early July 2016, three months before the FBI would begin citing the dossier.

“..[A]n early June 2017 USIC (US Intelligence Community) report indicated that two persons affiliated with RIS (Russian Intelligence Services) were aware of Steele’s election investigation in early July 2016,” the footnote said. “The Supervisory Intel Analyst told us he was aware of these reports, but that he had no information as of June 2017 that Steele’s election reporting source network had been penetrated or compromised.”

The FBI first sought a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to wiretap Trump campaign aide Carter Page in October 2016, and relied in part on material from Steele.

The timing is notable because the June 2017 intelligence report was known to the FBI in the earliest days of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, which was opened weeks earlier, in May. The bureau had been tipped off that Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos had said that the campaign might get help from Russia on damaging information about Hillary Clinton.

Steele has insisted that his information was unverified. The New York Times noted last year that in a lawsuit deposition about the dossier, “Asked whether he took into account that some claims might be Russian fabrications, [Steele] replied, ‘Yes.'” Steele was also asked during the deposition whether he warned Fusion GPS “that a central problem when you are a Russian intelligence expert is disinformation and the Russians have a long history and advanced capability in disinformation?”

The Times noted that the FBI “considered whether Russia had polluted the stream of intelligence, but did not give it much credence,” citing a former official.

Another newly declassified footnote speaks directly to Steele’s sources, though some sections are still redacted.

Footnote 347 says that the FBI “received information in early June 2017 which revealed that, among other things, there were (redacted) personal and business ties between the sub-source and Steele’s primary Sub-source; contacts between the sub-source and an individual in the Russian Presidential Administration in June/July 2016; (redacted) and the sub-subsource voicing strong support for candidate Clinton in the 2016 US elections. The Supervisory Intel Analyst told us that the FBI did not have (redacted) on any other Steele sub-source.”

Footnote 342, also states that Steele’s firm, Orbis, may have been singled out by the Russians. “In late January 2017, a member of the Crossfire Hurricane team received information (redacted) that RIS (Russian Intelligence) may have targeted Orbis (redacted) and research all publicly available information about it (redacted).” Crossfire Hurricane is the code name for the FBI’s investigation into any links between Russian officials and associates of the Trump campaign.

Honestly reading some of that is making my eyes glaze over. But essentially, the FBI was warned that Russian Intelligence knew about Steele’s investigation in 2016 and may have targeted his company Orbis. Not only that, but they were warned that one of Steele’s “sub-source” was in contact with someone in the Russian Presidential Administration and they were very much pro-Hillary.

In other words they had all of these warnings that the dossier might be Russian garbage but they used it anyway to trick the FISA court into allowing them to target the Trump campaign.


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