New detail in Danchenko trial exhibits suggests that FBI intentionally targeted Trump on false Russia Collusion charges
An FBI email previously not known to the public has revealed that the bureau planned to make Igor Danchenko—the primary source for British former spy Christopher Steele’s Trump dossier—a Confidential Human Source (CHS) before it had even interviewed him.
The revelation, which came out as a result of special counsel John Durham’s case against Danchenko, indicates that the FBI deliberately targeted 2016 presidential candidate and later President Donald Trump with claims it already knew at the time to be false.
The email—of which only the subject line has been made public—was first uncovered by an internet sleuth who goes by the moniker “Walkafyre” and was included in hundreds of unused exhibits from last week’s trial of Danchenko.
The FBI used Danchenko—who was acquitted last week during his trial on all charges of lying to the FBI—in its investigation of Trump, despite knowing that Danchenko had helped fabricate the dossier.
With the benefit of this new information, a renewed examination of the timeline between the Nov. 8, 2016, presidential election and the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller on May 17, 2017, reveals that the FBI—with the help of the Obama administration and Washington establishment figures—executed a concerted campaign to oust a sitting president.
Email Reveals FBI’s Plan to Make Danchenko a CHS Before Speaking to Him
The newly discovered email was sent by FBI agent Kevin Helson to unknown recipients on Jan. 12, 2017. The email’s heading reads “Plan to Convert Danchenko into CHS.”
This email is critical for several reasons. It shows that the FBI intended to hide Steele’s main source behind CHS status after they had previously discovered Steele could not back up the claims in his dossier despite their offer of $1 million to Steele for any corroboration. As a CHS, Danchenko would also be shielded from any external investigations—including those of Congress.
By Jeff Carlson and Hans Mahncke
