The Steele dossier triggered the FBI's Trump-Russia investigation
| The Steele dossier triggered the FBI's Trump-Russia investigation | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "The FBI opened its 2016 investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia because of the Steele dossier, which Hillary Clinton's campaign paid for." | |
| Domain | Politics & Elections |
| Tactic | False Context |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2017 |
| Origin | Republican and conservative media commentary after the dossier's funding was revealed in October 2017 |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on Politics & Elections | |
The Steele dossier was a set of opposition research memos by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, commissioned by the firm Fusion GPS. Its work was paid for through the law firm Perkins Coie on behalf of Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Many of its allegations were never corroborated.
The claim that the dossier started the FBI's investigation, code-named Crossfire Hurricane, is contradicted by both Justice Department reviews of the case.
What the evidence shows
- Opening predicate. The Justice Department inspector general's December 2019 report found that the FBI opened Crossfire Hurricane on July 31, 2016, based on information from a friendly foreign government about Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos. It said the dossier played no role in the opening.
- When the dossier arrived. The inspector general found the investigative team first received Steele's reports on September 19, 2016, seven weeks after the case was opened.
- Misuse later. The same report found 17 significant errors and omissions in surveillance applications for Carter Page, which relied heavily on the dossier.
- Durham's view. Special Counsel John Durham's May 2023 report criticized the FBI for opening a full investigation on "raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated intelligence." It did not find that the dossier triggered the opening.
Why it matters
The dossier's funding and the FBI's later reliance on it are serious, documented problems. They do not change when or why the investigation began, which both official reviews describe the same way.
Sources
- US Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane Investigation, December 2019.
- John H. Durham, Report on Matters Related to Intelligence Activities and Investigations Arising Out of the 2016 Presidential Campaigns, May 2023.
- The Washington Post, "Clinton campaign, DNC paid for research that led to Russia dossier," October 24, 2017.