In a clear opposition to FBI's alleged plans to hire the discredited author of an unverified and damaging dossier on President Donald Trump, a top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee is urging the agency to turn over information related to the former spy.
Chareles Grassley, R-Iowa, Judiciary Committee Chairman, asked FBI Director James Comey through a letter sent on Monday for confirmation if the bureau really attempted to hire former British spy Christopher Steele. Steele was the same guy who infamously put together a dossier on the President alleging that Trump hired professional hookers to perform lewd acts in a past visit to Russia, among other incredulous allegations. The White House has denied the claims, and no proof was ever presented to prove such outrageous charges against the President. President Trump also dismissed the so-called dossier as "fake news" and " phony". There were also factual errors and misspellings in the report.
Grassley also reminded Comey that Steele had been previously paid by the Democrats to dig up dirt on Trump. Grassley stressed that the idea that the FBI and associates of the Clinton failed campaign would pay Steele to probe the Republican nominee for president in the run-up to the election actually raises substantial questions about the independence of FBI from politics, as well as the Obama administration's illegal use of law enforcement and intel agencies for political ends.
The Judiciary Committee Chairman is asking the agency for records related to the alleged agreement and demanding answers to a list of questions, including who decided to hire Steele and whether the said dossier was actually used to seek other warrants.
It was earlier reported that the FBI tapped Steele to continue his supposed "research" on Trump by giving him government funds and even reimbursing some of his previous expenses just weeks before the election.
The Buzzfeed irresponsibly published the unverified dossier and President Trump scored the site as a "failing pile of garbage". Steele, 53, later went into hiding when the Wall Street Journal identified him as the author of said dossier.
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