Trump and Putin in Connection with the Steele Dossier
The Steele Dossier, a confidential document compiled in 2016 by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, has been a subject of intense scrutiny and controversy in the United States. Often referred to as "discredited" in US media, the dossier has been the centre of a whirlwind of allegations, investigations, and political fallout.
Originally commissioned by organizations associated with the Democratic presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, the dossier made a series of explosive claims, including allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential Trump-Russia connections. However, the dossier's credibility has been called into question, with official releases confirming that it was not reliably used as a key intelligence source by the U.S. intelligence community in 2016 and 2017.
The dossier's most sensational claim was the allegation of a sex party involving "golden showers" in a hotel in Moscow, an incident that Trump vehemently denied. The dossier also claimed that Russian intelligence services may have recordings of such an event from 2013. These allegations, however, remain unproven.
Independent investigations, such as that led by US special counsel Robert Mueller, found no evidence of criminal activity by the Trump team in relation to Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The Steele Dossier was circulated among journalists and published by the online medium "Buzzfeed" in 2017. This publication sparked a wave of controversy and suspicion in the U.S. about Russian interference and potential Trump-Russia connections. However, the dossier's debunked nature and intelligence community criticisms have complicated the interpretation of its claims.
The dossier's impact on the relationship between then-President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin remains a matter of debate. While the dossier contributed to controversy and suspicion, its allegations have not been demonstrated to have directly altered or defined the Trump-Putin relationship.
The Steele Dossier's credibility was further undermined when a UK lawsuit filed by Trump against Orbis Business Intelligence, the company that authored the dossier, was dismissed due to a procedural issue. The lawsuit, which aimed to restore Trump's reputation as stated by his lawyer, was initially filed against Orbis for unlawfully using private data and causing reputational harm.
The possibility of the Steele Dossier being part of a deliberate disinformation campaign from Moscow has also been suggested. Despite these controversies, Trump has consistently referred to the allegations in the dossier as "fake news" and a "witch hunt."
As of mid-2025, the Steele Dossier remains highly controversial and mostly discredited within U.S. intelligence disclosures. Its inclusion in key assessments, such as the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment, was improper and its allegations remain unproven or debunked. Its impact is more political and symbolic than evidential regarding Trump-Putin relations.
References:
[1] The Washington Post. (2021, July 15). Newly declassified documents show how the Steele dossier was used in the Russia probe. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/15/newly-declassified-documents-show-how-steele-dossier-was-used-russia-probe/
[2] The New York Times. (2017, January 11). The Steele Dossier: A Closer Look at the Contents. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/11/us/politics/steele-dossier-trump-russia-clinton.html
[3] The Guardian. (2017, January 11). Steele dossier: what is it and why is it so explosive? Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/11/steele-dossier-trump-russia-intelligence-report-clinton-campaign
- Controversy surrounding the Steele Dossier, initially commissioned by organizations associated with the Democratic presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, continues to be a subject of discussion in the realm of war-and-conflicts, politics, and general-news, as its unproven allegations have led to investigations and debates about policy-and-legislation and crime-and-justice.
- Despite the dossier's controversial nature, independent investigations such as that led by US special counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of criminal activity by the Trump team in relation to the 2016 election or Russian interference.
- The Steele Dossier, often referred to as discredited in US media, has been a center of debate in American politics, but its impact on the Trump-Putin relationship and the interpretation of its claims have been complicated by its debunked nature, intelligence community criticisms, and its improper inclusion in key assessments.
