The DOJ grilled Trump dossier author Christopher Steele for two days. What they reportedly heard was 'credible' and 'surprising.'


Christopher Steele is back.
The former MI6 agent behind the now-infamous "Steele Dossier" on President Trump's ties to Russia — you know, the one containing the alleged "pee tape" — was the subject of a two-day grilling by the Justice Department's internal watchdog in June, Politico reports. Coincidentally, the interview took place in London while Trump was on his state visit to the British capital.
DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz has been conducting an investigation into the FBI's efforts to surveil former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page based, in part, on information provided by Steele.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The interview reportedly didn't start off well for either side. Horowitz's team wasn't sure about Steele as a credible witness, especially after the dossier was disputed by Trump and other officials. Steele, meanwhile, wasn't keen on speaking with the investigators because he's a foreign national.
But all's well that ends well. Both sides reportedly eased into the interview, and investigators found Steele's testimony credible and "even surprising." That's not good news for Trump allies who have claimed that Steele's dossier was used improperly by the FBI so they could "spy" on Trump's campaign. Read more at Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Calls for both calm and consequences follow Kirk killing
TALKING POINTS The suspected assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk has some public figures pleading for restraint, while others agitate for violent reprisals
-
Why does Donald Trump keeping showing up at major sporting events?
Today's Big Question Trump has appeared at the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and other events
-
‘Democracy is under threat globally’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants