Second Dossier Could Corroborate First
The Trump-Russia dossier drafted by former MI6 spy and Russia expert Christopher Steele is not the only damning evidence of a compromised Donald Trump. There is a second Trump dossier, and the FBI is using it too.
Republicans have been trying to discredit the first Trump-Russia dossier, which includes apparent evidence of Trump’s ties to Russia, and salacious details about his sex life – leaving him open to blackmail and possibly even explaining why Trump is refusing to enact sanctions against Russia that Congress passed overwhelmingly.
Expect Republicans to work just as hard to discredit this second dossier too.
“The second memo was written by Cody Shearer, a controversial political activist and former journalist who was close to the Clinton White House in the 1990s,” The Guardian reports – which should be a lightning rod for Republicans.
But just like the Trump-Russia dossier drafted by Steele and ultimately produced by research firm Fusion GPS, allegedly for the Clinton campaign, the source of the second dossier doesn’t matter, as long as the allegations in it can be proven. The police don’t refuse tips from sources because they don’t like the sources, they investigate and decide if they are factual.Â
The Guardian says it “has been told the FBI investigation is still assessing details in the ‘Shearer memo’ and is pursuing intriguing leads,” and suggests “parts of the Steele dossier, which has been derided by Trump’s supporters, may have been corroborated by Shearer’s research, or could still be.”
The Shearer dossier was delivered to the FBI by Steele himself, in October of 2016 – just before the presidential election – after the FBI asked Steele for any documents that might help them in their investigation into Russia and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.Â
“One source with knowledge of the inquiry said the fact the FBI was still working on it suggested investigators had taken an aspect of it seriously,” The Guardian notes.
As for Shearer, he may not have the impeccable credentials that Steele does, but he has an extensive list of international contacts.
“Sources say that while he lacks the precision and polish of a seasoned former spy like Steele, Shearer has also been described as having a large network of sources around the world and the independent financial means to pursue leads.”
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Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license
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