Dossier author Christopher Steele reportedly met Ivanka Trump at a dinner in 2007, and the two maintained a friendly relationship for years afterward.
The Department of Justice's inspector general report released Monday describes how Steele, former intelligence officer and author of the dossier written in 2016 that describes alleged links between the Trump campaign and Russia, denied having a bias against then-candidate Donald Trump.
In fact, the report reads, "He stated that if anything he was 'favorably disposed' toward the Trump family before he began his research because he had visited a Trump family member at Trump Tower and 'been friendly' with [the family member] for some years." It goes on to say, "He described their relationship as 'personal' and said that he once gifted a family tartan from Scotland to the family member."
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 report doesn't mention who this Trump family member is, but according to ABC News, it's Ivanka Trump. Steele and Trump met at a dinner in 2007, when he was working for MI6, and "they began corresponding about the possibility of future work together," ABC reports, adding that they "stayed in touch via emails over the next several years." In one 2008 email, they talk about meeting for dinner near Trump Tower, the report says.
This relationship between Trump and Steele, who President Trump has blasted as a "lowlife" and "dopey," had not previously been known. Ivanka Trump hasn't yet commented on the report.
-
Why social media is obsessed with cortisolIn The Spotlight Wellness trend is the latest response to an increasingly maligned hormone
-
Peter Mandelson called Epstein his 'best pal' in birthday noteSpeed Read The UK's ambassador to Washington described the late convicted paedophile as an 'intelligent, sharp-witted man'
-
'Vampire energy' could be causing your electric bill to riseUnder the Radar Wasted energy could account for up to 10% of home use
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed 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 raidSpeed 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 hearingSpeed 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 mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed 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 battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
