FBI supervisory counterintelligence analyst Brian Auten testified Tuesday that the bureau offered ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele $1 million if he could prove salacious allegations made in his infamous dossier.
The dossier was used as a major part of the “Russian collusion” hoax against President Donald Trump.
Auten was the first witness in the trial of Igor Danchenko, who has been described by the New York Times as “the primary researcher of the so-called Steele dossier.”
Danchenko is being prosecuted by special counsel John Durham as part of his investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe. He was arrested last November on “five counts of making false statements to the FBI.”
Auten testified that Steele was offered “up to $1 million” to provide any corroboration of the claims made in the dossier and that he was never paid the large sum because he could not “prove the allegations.”
NEW: During questioning from Special Counsel John Durham, Brian Auten, a supervisory counter intelligence analyst with the FBI, revealed the FBI offered Christopher Steele one million dollars if he could corroborate allegations in the Dossier, but that Steele could not do so.
— Sean Langille (@SeanLangille) October 11, 2022
RELATED: Trump Celebrates As FEC Fines Hillary Campaign, DNC Over Payments For Steele Dossier
FBI Tried to Pay For Proof of Allegations Made in the Steele Dossier
Why is the FBI offering to pay for evidence when they could just compel their witness to provide it either through a subpoena?
Or, as a group of top-notch investigators, could have found the evidence themselves? There’s something rather unseemly about Auten’s revelations.
How is this not the biggest headline in America right now? #DurhamProbe https://t.co/ghhKQe51QG
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) October 12, 2022
Auten’s testimony also confirmed the fact that the FBI used the Steele dossier to attain FISA warrants to conduct surveillance on the Trump campaign – despite the fact none of the information could be proven.
“On October 21, 2016 [the date of the Carter Page FISA application], did you have any information to corroborate that information?” Durham asked.
“No,” Auten replied.
Recap:
1) Steele dossier makes wild accusations.
2) FBI offers $1 million to corroborate claims.
3) Steele declines.
4) FBI lies to the FISA court that the accusations are true.
5) No one at FBI is held accountable for the lies.
— MarkHyman (@MarkHyman) October 11, 2022
RELATED: Here’s The Stark Difference Between How Media Treated Hunter’s Laptop And The Steele Dossier
When Will the FBI Be Held Accountable?
The timeline here is critical. Auten claimed the $1 million payment was offered during early October meetings. The FBI then submitted an application for a FISA warrant on Page on October 21st.
That means they dangled $1 million in front of Steele, knew he couldn’t collect because there was no proof of the allegations, and they went to the court looking for a warrant anyway.
It would seem that in a different time, corruption this blatant at the FBI would be viewed, to paraphrase Joe Biden, as a “big f’ing deal.”
BREAKING: FBI offered Christopher Steele $1 million to prove phony dossier claims pic.twitter.com/fQRAYFKCYz
— Newsmax (@newsmax) October 12, 2022
And yet, we’re watching the trial of Danchenko, whom RealClearInvestigations has described as being little more than a chatterbox that the FBI relied on for vital information.
Auten repeatedly admitted under questioning from Durham that the FBI never got corroboration of the information in the Steele Dossier but used it in the initial FISA application and in the three subsequent renewals. – via @davidspunt & @JakeBGibson
— Sean Langille (@SeanLangille) October 11, 2022
The Steele dossier was used by a cabal of Democrats, intelligence officials, and the media to undermine Donald Trump throughout his presidency.
The dossier and its salacious allegations against Trump have since, after he was safely out of office, been labeled by Axios as an “epic fail” by the media and led to the Washington Post quietly editing past reports after a second key player in the dossier’s ‘research’ had been arrested.
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As in the case of the Hunter Biden laptop, this is a blatant attempt to spread misinformation, and instead of having a ‘come to Jesus’ moment and later admitting what they did, they simply rewrite history.
Back in 2019, IG disclosed Obama FBI offered significant sum to Steele for dirt on Trump (and others) just before the election. Took Durham 3 years to tell us it was $1 million. And not one of the Obama gang will be prosecuted for this abuse of power. https://t.co/N9dVymvAo7
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) October 12, 2022
And while the FBI was offering large sums of money for information from Steele, Steele himself was paying Danchenko.
“Danchenko was a hard-drinking gossip who had worked for the Brookings Institution, a Democratic Party think tank,” writes RealClearInvestigations.
“It turns out the anti-Trump rumors he fed Steele — in exchange for cash — was dubious hearsay passed along over drinks with his high school buddies and an old girlfriend.”
Danchenko pleaded not guilty to all five counts of making false statements to the FBI. When is the FBI going to be charged for their false statements?
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