Why the Discredited Dossier Does Not Undercut the Russia Investigation
Donald J. Trump and his backers say revelations about the Steele dossier show the Russia investigation was a “hoax.” That is not what the facts indicate.
What was the Steele dossier?
It was a series of memos about purported Trump-Russia links written by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence agent, during the 2016 campaign.
What was the Russia investigation?
It was a counterintelligence and criminal inquiry into the Russian operation to manipulate the 2016 presidential election by
hacking and anonymously dumping Democratic emails and by
spreading propaganda using fake accounts on American social media platforms. The scrutiny of Russia’s activities included examining the nature of links between Trump campaign associates and Russians to see if there was any coordination.
Was the dossier a reliable source of information?
No. It has become clear over time that its sourcing was thin and sketchy.
No corroborating evidence has emerged in intervening years to support many of the specific claims in the dossier, and government investigators determined that one key allegation — that Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, had met with Russian officials in Prague during the campaign — was false.
Did the F.B.I. open the investigation because of the dossier?
No. Mr. Trump and his allies have insinuated that the F.B.I. based the Russia investigation on the dossier. But when counterintelligence agents launched the effort on July 30, 2016, they did not yet know about the dossier. An
inspector general report established that Mr. Steele’s reports reached that counterintelligence team on Sept. 19, 2016.
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