Christopher Steele Whacks Mueller and ‘Bad Faith’ Trump DOJ

[Knuckle Ball]

Christopher Steele Whacks Mueller and ‘Bad Faith’ Trump DOJ​

Nick Mutch

OXFORD, England—, a former British spy who compiled the notorious dossier on Trump’s relationship with Russia, attacked and on Friday, in his first public remarks since his bombshell allegations were published in 2017.

Speaking to students at Oxford University in England, he described the probe into Russian interference as having failed to do any “drilling down into financial networks and leverage,” which he said was “the way Russian influence works.”

His appearance at the Oxford Union, a 200-year-old debating society, was held in private but attended by The Daily Beast.

Steele said he had been interviewed by the Mueller probe into potential collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Russian government for “two whole days” but said: “I was surprised that very little of what I had discussed with them appeared in the final report.”

He criticized the report for being “too narrow” and failing to follow up on crucial evidence. “There were many things about the report that were good… but other (aspects) that were not so good,” he said.

Steele said the fact that “a number of witnesses—including for instance, Donald Trump Jr.” had avoided being interviewed “wasn’t great.”

“I was surprised that very little of what I had discussed with them appeared in the final [Mueller] report.”

— Christopher Steele

The former head of the Russia desk at Britain’s MI6 said it was no surprise that Trump did not appreciate the work of the secret service. “Trump himself doesn’t like intelligence because its ground truth is inconvenient for him,” he said.

Steele also attacked the U.S. Department of Justice’s inspector general report on the Russia probe, which criticized the FBI’s interactions with him, when The Daily Beast asked him about its findings.

Steele described having cooperated with the inquiry over “4 to 5 months” but he said he had seen some “very bad qualities” of U.S. officials, who he accused of acting in “bad faith.”

Trump’s Attorney General, Bill Barr, has now appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham to lead a further probe into the origins of the Russia investigation, which was originally labelled “Crossfire Hurricane.”

Barr has asked Durham to examine whether there was any criminality involved after DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz found “serious errors” in the FBI’s work, conducted amid the tumultuous conditions of the 2016 Presidential campaign.

Steele said he would not cooperate with Barr and John Durham’s new investigation; saying he and his private investigation company Orbis Business Intelligence had already “done our duty” by cooperating fully with the IG report.

“As far as I’m concerned,” he told students. “We’ve said everything we have to say on the matter.”

He said that he had fulfilled his obligations them, "including confidentiality" but that they had failed to reciprocate.

Steele would not say whether anyone from the Department of Justice had contacted him in relation to Durham’s new probe.

Steele’s dossier on Trump’s dealings with Russia sensationally alleged that Russian intelligence had spent many years compromising the former businessman—including rumors that Trump had been filmed in a Moscow hotel engaging in lewd acts with prostitutes.

“We stand by the integrity of our work and the integrity of our sources.”

— Christopher Steele

The Mueller report dismissed many of the claims in the dossier, including the allegation about the compromising hotel tape. The special counsel also disproved allegations that Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen had traveled to Prague to meet Kremlin officials and claims that Carter Page had met with senior Russian figures.

Steele told the students in Oxford that he was still confident in his report’s conclusions. “We stand by the integrity of our work and the integrity of our sources,” he said.

Steele also advocated for Western governments to take a more aggressive stance against Russian interference, describing President Putin as a “bully” and pointing out that “the psychology of bullies suggests that if you hit them once, they might hit you back, but they won’t bother you again.”

Many Republicans, led by President Trump, have alleged political bias in Steele’s work because his research company was hired by American firm Fusion GPS, which had been conducting opposition research on Trump on behalf of his Republican primary challengers. The Clinton campaign later picked up the tab. Steele dismissed the allegations of bias, describing himself as simply “an opponent of President Putin.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/christopher-steele-whacks-mueller-report-and-bad-faith-team-trump

 

[Charlemagne]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/christopher-steele-whacks-mueller-report-and-bad-faith-team-trump

So Mueller did a shitty job?

 

[Knuckle Ball]

So Mueller did a shitty job?

Steele certainly thinks so.

So do many others.

 

[Gooseifur]

Steele certainly thinks so.

So do many others.

Not according to the Democrats, they defended him at every turn calling him a man of unquestionable integrity. Now they are changing their tune because they lost.

 

[Charlemagne]

Not according to the Democrats, they defended him at every turn calling him a man of unquestionable integrity. Now they are changing their tune because they lost.

Why not release the full unredacted report now then?

 

[WyattEarp]

Does anyone believe that if Christopher Steele had the goods that there would not have been plenty of takers (media, MI6, other non-U.S. intelligence agencies, Andrew Weitzman & Company)?

This guy seems to be perpetually selling innuendo.

 

[Frankfooter]

Does anyone believe that if Christopher Steele had the goods that there would not have been plenty of takers (media, MI6, other non-U.S. intelligence agencies, Andrew Weitzman & Company)?

This guy seems to be perpetually selling innuendo.

You mean it would taken more like Giuliani's report on the Bidens?

 

[WyattEarp]

You mean it would taken more like Giuliani's report on the Bidens?

I'm not sure what you are saying.

 

[Frankfooter]

I'm not sure what you are saying.

You're saying that if Steele was really respected his report would have been taken as seriously as Giuliani's report on the Bidens, the one that got Trump impeached?
Instead of just becoming part of a massive FBI investigation into Trump followed by the Mueller report.

That what you mean?

 

[WyattEarp]

I'm saying if Steele had something substantive for investigative bodies including media to move on that they would have done so. It's hard for me to believe with all the hatred for Trump around the world no one would have found anything to support his claims.

You seem to be taking this into another direction, but my point still stands.

 

[Frankfooter]

I'm saying if Steele had something substantive for investigative bodies including media to move on that they would have done so. It's hard for me to believe with all the hatred for Trump around the world no one would have found anything to support his claims.

You seem to be taking this into another direction, but my point still stands.

They did and they found lots of dirt.
How many of Trump's close team is now in jail?
Manfort, Flynn, Stone......

If Mueller hadn't have started with the idea that he couldn't indict a sitting president that report would have done him in.

 

[Butler1000]

They did and they found lots of dirt.
How many of Trump's close team is now in jail?
Manfort, Flynn, Stone......

If Mueller hadn't have started with the idea that he couldn't indict a sitting president that report would have done him in.

They found incidental crimes not actually in the dossier.

Tell the truth.

 

[jcpro]

They found incidental crimes not actually in the dossier.

Tell the truth.

Truth??? That's funny. That would mean admitting to being wrong for the last four years.

 

[WyattEarp]

Frank (and Steele) are still flogging the no one has proven the dossier is wrong B.S. It's a good argument for the weak and feeble-minded.

 

[Big Sleazy]

Steele is a member of the SES and Queen's Privy Council. He works for the British and should be shot for treason.

 

[Gooseifur]

Why not release the full unredacted report now then?

It's not up to Mueller, it's up to Barr

 

[Frankfooter]

Frank (and Steele) are still flogging the no one has proven the dossier is wrong B.S. It's a good argument for the weak and feeble-minded.

And you keep pushing one of Trump's 17,000 lies as if its more credible than the FBI, Mueller and Steele.
When challenged you couldn't even say what the dossier got wrong.
Total sheeple.

 

[Butler1000]

And you keep pushing one of Trump's 17,000 lies as if its more credible than the FBI, Mueller and Steele.
When challenged you couldn't even say what the dossier got wrong.
Total sheeple.

As it was never used as evidence in a single court case I'd say beyond it stating so and so was in a place at a time it got everything wrong.

That's the basis for the claim it has things right. Stating someone was somewhere on a date. Everything else was speculation and innuendo.

Or it would have been used right? I said it four years ago. It's not worth a damn.

 

[Frankfooter]

As it was never used as evidence in a single court case I'd say beyond it stating so and so was in a place at a time it got everything wrong.

That's the basis for the claim it has things right. Stating someone was somewhere on a date. Everything else was speculation and innuendo.

Or it would have been used right? I said it four years ago. It's not worth a damn.

Even on that charge Cohen was found that his phone was pinging in Prague, where Steele said he was.
https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-cohen-cell-phone-prague-dossier-mueller-russia-2018-12
Course Cohen is now in jail for perjury, isn't it?

Got anything better?

 

[Butler1000]

Even on that charge Cohen was found that his phone was pinging in Prague, where Steele said he was.
https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-cohen-cell-phone-prague-dossier-mueller-russia-2018-12
Course Cohen is now in jail for perjury, isn't it?

Got anything better?

Except all it proved is he was in Prague. That's it.

Just like I said. So and so was somewhere.