Steele dossier
The Steele dossier, also known as the Trump–Russia dossier, is a political opposition research report written from June to December 2016 containing allegations of misconduct, conspiracy, and co-operation between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and the government of Russia prior to and during the 2016 election campaign. "The Guardian" has described the controversial opposition research as "one of the most explosive documents in modern political history". The dossier, leaked without permission, is an unfinished 35-page compilation of raw intelligence based on information from witting and unwitting anonymous sources known to the author, counterintelligence specialist Christopher Steele, a former head of the Russia Desk for British intelligence (MI6), written for the private investigative firm Fusion GPS. The dossier's 17 reports allege that Trump campaign members and Russian operatives had conspired to co-operate in Russia's election interference to benefit Trump. It also alleges that Russia sought to damage Hillary Clinton's candidacy, including sharing negative information about Clinton with the Trump campaign. The draft dossier was published in full by "BuzzFeed News" on January 10, 2017, noting that it was unverified. This was done without permission from Orbis Business Intelligence or Steele. Several mainstream media outlets criticized "BuzzFeed"s decision to publish the reports without verifying their allegations, while others defended its decision.

In October 2015, Fusion GPS was contracted by conservative political website "The Washington Free Beacon" to provide general opposition research on Trump and other Republican presidential candidates. Separately, in April 2016, an attorney for Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) hired Fusion GPS to investigate Trump, while the "Free Beacon" stopped its backing in May 2016. In June 2016, Fusion GPS subcontracted Steele's firm to compile the dossier. DNC officials denied knowing their attorney had contracted with Fusion GPS, and Steele asserted he was not aware the Clinton campaign was the recipient of his research until months after he contracted with Fusion GPS. Following Trump's election as president, funding from Clinton and the DNC ceased, but Steele continued his research and was reportedly paid directly by Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn R. Simpson. While compiling the dossier, Steele passed some of his findings to both British and American intelligence services.

The media, the intelligence community, and most experts have treated the dossier with caution due to its unverified allegations, while Trump denounced it as fake news. The U.S. intelligence community took the allegations seriously, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated every line of the dossier and identified and spoke with at least two of Steele's sources. In January 2017, the primary sub-source said that Steele misstated or exaggerated certain information. The Mueller Report, a summary of the findings of the Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, contained passing references to some of the dossier's allegations but little mention of its more sensational claims.

Some aspects of the dossier have been corroborated, in particular its main allegations that Putin and Russia actively favored Trump over Clinton and that many Trump campaign officials and associates had multiple secret contacts with Russians. However, many allegations in the dossier remain unverified. One allegation against Michael Cohen was dismissed by the Mueller Report. A court ruled that another of the assertions was "inaccurate and misleading". Adam Goldman and Charlie Savage, two "New York Times" reporters heavily involved in reporting on Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, have described it as "deeply flawed". "The Daily Telegraph" has reported that anonymous sources believe Russian intelligence agencies may have sought to create doubt about the veracity of the dossier.

The dossier is a factor in several conspiracy theories. Contrary to a conspiracy theory promoted by Trump, Fox News, and many of Trump's congressional supporters, the dossier was not the trigger for the opening of the FBI's "Crossfire Hurricane" counterintelligence investigation into "whether individuals associated with the Donald J. Trump for President Campaign were coordinating, wittingly or unwittingly, with the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election," nor did it play any role in the intelligence community's assessment about Russian actions in the 2016 election. It did play a central role in the seeking of FISA warrants on Carter Page in terms of establishing FISA's low bar for probable cause.
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opposition research
UNK
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Donald Trump's presidential campaign
Concept
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government of Russia
ORG
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2016 election
Concept
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The Guardian
MEDIA
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leaked
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None
anonymous sources
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counterintelligence
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Christopher Steele
PER
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British intelligence
Concept
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private investigative firm
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Fusion GPS
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Russia's election interference to benefit Trump
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Hillary Clinton
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BuzzFeed News
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Orbis Business Intelligence
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conservative
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The Washington Free Beacon
ORG
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Hillary Clinton's campaign
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Democratic National Committee
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Glenn R. Simpson
PER
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intelligence services
Concept
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intelligence community
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fake news
Concept
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Federal Bureau of Investigation
Concept
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Mueller Report
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Special Counsel investigation
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many Trump campaign officials and associates had multiple secret contacts with Russians
Concept
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Michael Cohen
PER
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Adam Goldman
PER
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Charlie Savage
PER
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New York Times
MEDIA
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Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
Concept
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The Daily Telegraph
MEDIA
None
several conspiracy theories
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conspiracy theory
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Fox News
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"Crossfire Hurricane"
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Donald J. Trump for President Campaign
Concept
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FISA
Concept
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Carter Page
PER
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probable cause
Concept
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Steele dossier
Concept
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