Russian Source for Steele Dossier Indicted for Lying To FBI

The Russian analyst who served as the main source for the Steele dossier was indicted Thursday on charges that he lied to the FBI about his efforts to compile information on Donald Trump, as well as his interactions with a longtime adviser to Hillary Clinton.

Igor Danchenko is accused of lying in five interviews with the FBI in 2017 regarding his work on the dossier, which the FBI used to investigate allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Danchenko worked as a contractor for Christopher Steele, the former British spy who investigated Trump on behalf of the Clinton campaign and DNC.

Special Counsel John Durham’s indictment further undercuts the credibility of the dossier, which the FBI relied on heavily during its investigation of Donald Trump. The indictment also raises questions about why Danchenko is only now being charged with lying to the FBI. The indictment says he lied during interviews with the FBI conducted between March and November 2017.

According to the indictment, Danchenko withheld from the FBI that he received information from a U.S. public relations executive alleging links between Russia and the Trump campaign, which he passed to Steele. The executive is not identified by name, but the indictment says he is a longtime adviser to Hillary Clinton and served in former president Bill Clinton's State Department.