Afraid he would be exposed, Russia pulled Kalugin out of Washington on 'short notice.' Steele actually misspelled Kalugin's name, but the U.S. Revelation: Steele also claimed that Russia was worried a diplomat named Mikhail Kalugin was heavily involved in the meddling operation.

However, no other media outlet has been able to confirm McClatchy's reporting.ĭossier Claim: Russian Diplomat Was a Spy The two countries are part of a number of European nations with an open borders agreement that allows undocumented travel. The report stated that Mueller's team discovered proof Cohen got to Prague through Germany. Cohen has repeatedly denied traveling to the Czech capital, but McClatchy last month reported that Mueller had evidence the trip happened. Revelation: The president's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, was accused in the dossier of meeting with 'Kremlin representatives' in Prague in August 2016. He now faces charges that include conspiracy against the United States. Manafort worked extensively in Ukraine as a political consultant and received millions in payments. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse in Washington, D.C., following a hearing on April 4. intelligence report reached the same conclusion, writing that Putin 'ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the presidential election.' According to Steele's sources, Putin and Russia had been cultivating Trump for 'at least 5 years.'įormer Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort leaves the E. Revelation: On the very first page of the dossier, Steele explains that the election meddling was 'endorsed by Putin' and that the effort was 'both supported and directed' by him. intelligence community confirmed not only that Russia had tried to meddle in the election but that it was the source of the hacked DNC emails released by WikiLeaks. Steele later cites one source as stating Russia that was behind the leak of hacked Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails to WikiLeaks. Another line said: 'The two sides had a mutual interest in defeating Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, whom President Putin apparently both hated and feared.' 'Putin motivated by fear and hatred of Hillary Clinton,' one line of the dossier reads. Revelation: Much of the dossier is devoted not only to Trump but to Russia's-specifically Putin's-distaste for former Secretary of State Clinton. Though Steele's name is not mentioned in that report, it does back up his reporting that Russia was actively interfering in the election process.ĭossier Claim: Russia Had Dirt on Clinton and DNC intelligence apparatus concluded that Russia interfered in 2016's election in a report released in January 2017. Here's what we know to be true in the dossier, which has plagued Trump since before his presidency even began. intelligence services and Mueller's team itself have proven key parts of Steele's dossier. officials, and the FBI opened its probe in July 2016.Įver since, media reports, U.S.

Instead, the investigation began when former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos drunkenly told an Australian diplomat that he knew Russia had damaging information about Hillary Clinton. Mueller's probe, which he technically took over from the FBI, was not prompted by Steele's dossier. It also stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime had cultivated Trump for 'years' and even had potentially damaging information on the billionaire real estate mogul. The anniversary is not an occasion for celebration for President Donald Trump, who has labeled the investigation a 'witch hunt.'īut well before Mueller was in the national spotlight, a former British intelligence officer was gathering information about Trump and his campaign's potential ties and collusion with Russia to win the White House.Ĭhristopher Steele and his 35-page dossier not only alleged collusion between the president's campaign and Russia. Special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed one year ago today to probe Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

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