The FBI offered former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele $1 million as an incentive if he could prove the allegations made in his infamous dossier against former President Donald Trump, a senior FBI analyst revealed on Oct. 11.
FBI supervisory counterintelligence analyst Brian Auten revealed the offer while testifying at the criminal trial of Igor Danchenko, a key source who supplied information for the anti-Trump dossier, which was commissioned by Democrats during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The trial is part of special counsel John Durham’s criminal probe reviewing the origins of the 2016–2017 FBI investigation of the now disproved Trump–Russia collusion narrative.
Danchenko, a Russian national, is facing five counts of making false statements to the FBI during interviews with agents and faces up to 25 years behind bars if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty.
According to Auten, the $1 million offer was made when he and Steele met with a group of top FBI agents overseas in October 2016. At the time of the meeting, the agents were trying to corroborate claims Steele had made that Trump’s campaign was colluding with Russia in order to win the election.
“Yes, it did,” Auten told Durham when asked if the FBI offered Steele any incentive to provide evidence to back up his claims.
FBI Offered ‘Anywhere up to a Million Dollars’
“Mr. Steele was offered anywhere up to a million dollars for any information … which could help prove the allegations,” Auten added.
However, Auten said that the FBI ultimately never paid the money to Steele because he was unable to substantiate the claims made in his dossier. He also noted that Danchenko did not identify the dossier’s sources.
“The sourcing is important because the reports have significant allegations, individuals who are mentioned in the reports, and the key to be able to track back exactly whether or not the information is accurate, true, whether or not the individuals who are mentioned in the reports have the accesses to actually have the information, whether it is in the reports, etc.,” Auten said.
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