![]() ![]() In other words, the CIA believed Putin was going nowhere and was planning to flex his muscles even more. “President Vladimir Putin has sustained his popular approval at or near record highs for nearly two years after illegally annexing Crimea,” the CIA reported, saying that expected protests in 2016 over a weakening Russian economy would likely be put down with “repressive tactics.” 9, 2016, just a day after Steele sent the email, that Putin appeared emboldened for a “more assertive foreign policy approach” and a Western disinformation campaign because his popularity was soaring in his homeland. Yet, even more alarming at the time was the fact that Steele’s reporting in February 2016 flew in the face of the CIA’s own assessment of Moscow, ironically given that exact same month to Congress in the agency’s annual global threats assessment. Putin is firmly entrenched in power and, in the summer and fall of 2016, he pulled off one of his most daring feats against the Western world with his meddling in the U.S. 4 Justice official, Bruce Ohr.īut more than two-and-a-half years later, Steele’s intelligence seems debunked in retrospect. At the time, he was in contact with the No. It is unclear whether Steele also shared those same reports with his handlers at the DOJ, the FBI or the State Department. 8, 2016, email, “All are sensitive source, of course, and need handling accordingly with anyone Russian or Ukrainian.” “We shall see but I hope you find them informative/useful anyway.”Īs for the nature of the reports, Steele boasted in his Feb. ![]() “I also don’t believe any Russian client or associate will admit to a Western business contact that PUTIN has been weakened or is on the way out, as the intel suggests, out of fear of being branded an oppositionist,” Steele cautioned the recipient. The documents were labeled “Orbis Russian Leadership Reporting,” and the cover email made a most provocative claim: Russian leader Vladimir Putin might be losing his grip on power. He would not “confirm or deny” that the firm produced the report.In February 2016, as Christopher Steele’s Russia-related contacts with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI were ramping up, the former British spy emailed some intelligence reports from his Orbis security company to a potential private-sector client. We call upon their expertise and closed network of contacts to help our clients frame business decisions, protect our clients’ reputations, and problem–solve for companies facing complex issues worldwide.”ĭespite failed attempts to reach Steele, the WSJ did speak to Christopher Burrows, who runs Orbis with Steele. Some information on how Orbis gathers its information is available on its website, which says: “Our global network of senior associates is made up of regional, industry and academic experts, as well as prominent business figures. ![]() Its article revealing his name says attempts to get him to talk have failed in “previous weeks” because, as an intermediary told the paper, the topic was “too hot.” The WSJ appears to have known Steele was behind the document for weeks. The WSJ says he’s the man who, according to CNN, was first hired by GOP operatives to dig up dirt on Trump and then paid by Clinton supporters to continue his investigation. Christopher Steele is a 52-year-old who runs Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd., a private security and investigation firm based in London. ![]() The man who prepared the secret dossier alleging deep ties between Donald Trump and Russia is a former British intelligence agent with a spy-movie name, according to The Wall Street Journal. ![]()
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