Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham secured the release of two declassified documents Friday from the Justice Department that he says undercut the FBI’s reliance on Christopher Steele’s dossier and exposes how the FBI lacked concrete evidence in its probe against the president’s 2016 campaign.
The South Carolina Republican said the documents conflict with the allegations laid out in FISA warrants against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
A 57-page summary of the FBI’s interview with Mr. Steele’s primary source for his unsubstantiated dossier was second-hand information from a non-Russian official, according to Mr. Graham.
“The document reveals that the primary ‘source’ of Steele’s election reporting was not some well-connected current or former Russian official, but a non-Russian based contract employee of Christopher Steele’s firm. Moreover, it demonstrates that the information that Steele’s primary source provided him was second and third-hand information and rumor at best,” Mr. Graham said in a press release.
The second document shows former FBI Agent Peter Strzok’s notes, which suggest the FBI did not have evidence that someone in the Trump campaign was conspiring with Russian officials.
The Steele dossier detailed salacious information about Mr. Trump and was used to secure FISA warrants by the FBI to spy on his campaign officials.
The Justice Department and members of Congress have been reviewing the origins of the investigation, at times suggesting the FBI abused the FISA application process.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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