Chairman Graham Releases Newly Declassified Summary Indicating FBI Knew Steele Dossier Source Was Likely a Russian Agent, Had Been Under U.S. Counterintelligence Investigation

Contact Your Elected Officials

WASHINGTON โ€“ Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today released a letter from Attorney General William Barr and a declassified summary from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that indicate Christopher Steeleโ€™s Primary Sub-source was a likely Russian agent and had previously been the subject of an FBI counterintelligence investigation.

Letter from Attorney General William Barr PDF

AG-Letter-to-Chairman-Graham-9-24-2020

In response to Grahamโ€™s request for oversight of the reliability of the Steele dossier, the Justice Department recently declassified a key footnote in Inspector General Horowitzโ€™s report. The footnote states Christopher Steeleโ€™s Primary Sub-source โ€œwas the subject of an FBI counterintelligence investigation from 2009 to 2011 that assessed his/her documented contacts with suspected Russian intelligence officers.โ€

โ€œTo me, failure of the FBI to inform the court that the Primary Sub-source was suspected of being a Russian agent is a breach of every duty owed by law enforcement to the judicial system.โ€

The FBI summary provided to the committee reveals that the Crossfire Hurricane team was aware of this information in December 2016, yet failed to inform the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Further, they continued to seek three FISA warrant applications using the Steele dossier as a basis.

Key takeaways from the FBIโ€™s declassified summary:

  • The Crossfire Hurricane team knew in December 2016 that Christopher Steeleโ€™s Primary Sub-source was an individual who the FBI had indicated in 2009 โ€œcould be a threat to national security.โ€
  • In May 2009, Steeleโ€™s source reportedly attempted to recruit two individuals connected to an influential foreign policy advisor connected to President Obama, offering that if the two individuals โ€œโ€˜did get a job in the government and had access to classified informationโ€™ and wanted โ€˜to make a little extra money,โ€™ [Steeleโ€™s source] knew some people to whom they could speak.โ€
  • FBI databases revealed Steeleโ€™s source โ€œhad contact in 2006 with the Russian Embassy and known Russian intelligence officers, [including contacting a known Russian intelligence officer] โ€˜so the documents can be placed in tomorrowโ€™s diplomatic pouch.โ€™โ€
  • One individual interviewed by the FBI noted that โ€œthe Primary Sub-source persistently asked about the intervieweeโ€™s knowledge of a particular military vessel.โ€
  • Significantly, the โ€œrecord documenting the closing of the investigation [of the Primary Sub-source] stated that consideration would be given to re-opening the investigation in the event that the Primary Sub-source returned to the United States.โ€

โ€œThis is the most stunning and damning revelation the committee has uncovered.

โ€œI very much appreciate Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray for providing the Senate Judiciary Committee with essential and relevant documents regarding Crossfire Hurricane. 

โ€œThere are several takeaways from this latest revelation.

  • First, the primary source for the Steele dossier was likely a Russian agent. 
  • Second, the Primary Sub-source was suspected by the FBI in 2009 of being a Russian agent, and there had been an active counterintelligence investigation of this individual.  That FBI investigation revealed the Primary Sub-source was suspected of providing information to the Russian Embassy and was in contact with known Russian intelligence officers, and made offers to people connected to incoming Obama Administration officials that any classified information they provided could be paid for.  In addition, during this investigation it was disclosed that the Primary Sub-source persistently asked individuals about a particular military vessel of the United States. 
  • Third, the information provided shows that in December 2016, the FBI knew of the previous counterintelligence investigation of the Primary Sub-source and the sourceโ€™s ties to Russian intelligence services.  However, they failed to inform the FISA Court.  In fact, not only did they not inform the FISA Court the Primary Sub-source was likely a Russian agent, they continued to use the Steele dossier to seek warrants against Carter Page.  They told the court the Primary Sub-source was truthful and cooperative.  Specifically the three FISA applications filed after December 2016 make no mention of the previous counterintelligence investigation against the Primary Sub-source and the last two FISA applications additionally misled the court about the results obtained of the interviews of the Primary Sub-source in January and March of 2017.

Graham on Totality of FBI Crossfire Hurricane Failures:

โ€œIn light of this newly declassified information, I will be sending the FISA Court the information provided to inform them how wide and deep the effort to conceal exculpatory information regarding the Carter Page warrant application was in 2016 and 2017.

โ€œA small group of individuals in the Department of Justice and FBI should be held accountable for this fraud against the court.  I do not believe they represent the overwhelming majority of patriotic men and women who work at the Department of Justice and FBI.

โ€œThe now famous email Susan Rice sent to herself on Inauguration Day where she states that President Obama said that everything has to be done โ€˜by the bookโ€™ has become highly suspect.  If this investigation is โ€˜by the book,โ€™ then the book weโ€™re using is the Kremlin playbook.

โ€œIt is up to the committee and Congress to reform the system so it never happens again.  Itโ€™s stunning to be told that the single individual who provided information to Christopher Steele for the Russian dossier used by the FBI on four occasions to obtain a warrant on Carter Page, an American citizen, was a suspected Russian agent years before the preparation of the dossier.

โ€œThe committee will press on and get to the bottom of what happened, and we will try to work together to make sure this never happens again.โ€  

More Fisa Abuse Investigation Information

The Thinking Conservative
The Thinking Conservativehttps://www.thethinkingconservative.com/
The goal of THE THINKING CONSERVATIVE is to help us educate ourselves on conservative topics of importance to our freedom and our pursuit of happiness. We do this by sharing conservative opinions on all kinds of subjects, from all types of people, and all kinds of media, in a way that will challenge our perceptions and help us to make educated choices.

Liberal Democrat Content Creators are Despicable Defamationers

What should Christian conservatives do when confronted with false information to the point of bearing false witness against someone like President Trump?

Ben Shapiro Warning Me Not to Listen to InfoWars Makes Me Want to Listen 10x Harder

This rant from Ben Shapiro reveals more about him and his low opinion of his audience to whom he peddles his slop than it does about its target, Alex Jones.

Epsteinโ€™s Aftermath: Planes, Blames, and Autocrats

There are so many real, honest great journalists reporting the news on the internet these days that some really good content gets overlooked.

Why the Trump Administration is Sitting on the Epstein Files

President Trump, AG Bondi, and FBI Dir. Patel have the advantage over us in that they see the big overall picture when it comes to the Epstein List.

Trumpโ€™s โ€œMajor Statementโ€ On Russia Is A Clumsy Attempt To Thread The Needle

The โ€œmajor statementโ€ on Russia Trump hyped up turned out to be an attempt to thread the needle between escalating US involvement in Ukrainian and walking away from it.

DHS Secretary Suggests Liquid Carry-On Limits on Flights Might Be Eased

More changes could be coming to the TSA, including whether more liquids can be taken through airport security, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem suggested.

Top FDA Vaccine Official Overruled Reviewers 3 Times on COVID-19 Shots

FDAโ€™s top vaccine official overruled agency reviewers on 3 decisions involving COVID-19 vaccines, including approval of Modernaโ€™s shot for children.

What Parents Should Expect After Supreme Courtโ€™s Ruling on Opt-Outs From Pro-LGBT Storybooks

American parents should expect notification from schools about โ€œLGBTQ+ inclusiveโ€ instruction and right to opt children out for religious reasons.

EXCLUSIVE: FDA Commissioner Responds to Critics: โ€˜Be Patient With Usโ€™ on COVID-19 Vaccines

Commissioner of FDA is responding to critics of the agencyโ€™s recent approvals of COVID-19 vaccines, saying the FDA is involved in a process that takes time.

Washington Announces Investigation Into Brazilian Trade Practices, Digital Payment Services

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced the opening of an investigation into Brazilโ€™s โ€œunfairโ€ trading practices on July 15, 2025.

Pharma Imports Could Face Tariffs by End of the Month, Trump Says

US will institute tariffs on pharmaceutical imports โ€œprobably at the end of the month,โ€ President Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews.

RFK Jr. Fires Top Aides, Appoints New Acting Chief of Staff

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired several top advisers, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed on July 16.

Trump Says He Will Impose Tariffs of More Than 10 Percent on Smaller Nations

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he intends to impose tariff rates of more than 10 percent on imports from โ€œsmaller nations.โ€
spot_img

Related Articles