Concerns Raised About Steele Dossier Use in Intelligence Reports
A senior intelligence officer reportedly resisted pressure from former President Barack Obama’s intelligence chief concerning the inclusion of the Steele Dossier in evaluations of alleged Russian election interference. This comes as discussions around Russia’s potential involvement in the 2016 election resurfaces.
Officials, including then-FBI Director James Comey, were said to have requested that pertinent documents be included in a formal review. However, the requests faced opposition, as detailed records reviewed by certain sources indicate. The recent evidence pertains to intelligence gathering related to Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and its alleged conspiracy with Russia.
One official expressed skepticism regarding the dossier’s credibility, stating, “Unless the FBI is ready to provide better sourcing – I believe this should not be included in the paper.” The argument was that the documents in question lacked the robustness required by intelligence community standards.
There were concerns among intelligence officials that the sources cited in the Steele documents were not well-known to the FBI. Despite this, FBI representatives insisted the information was reliable to some extent. Interestingly, the Steele Dossier, previously created by a source for the FBI, was deemed “minimally supported” based on insights from the U.S. Department of Justice’s General Report.
Questions were raised about whether ongoing investigation materials could be utilized, with some officials pondering if such inclusion could compromise the investigation itself. Notably, individuals from the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Department were reportedly advocating for relevant documents to be part of the assessment, rather than relegated to an appendix.
One official expressed concern that including sensational information could lead to complications. Ultimately, despite the apprehensions, the Steele documents were included as an appendix in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment. This information was later leaked to CNN shortly before Trump’s presidential inauguration, though the file itself did not clarify the underlying motives of the intelligence agency.
