Trump and Putin in relation to the Steele Dossier

The Steele Dossier, a confidential document compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele in 2016, continues to make headlines despite being often referred to as "discredited" by US media. The dossier contains unverified allegations of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives to interfere in the 2016 US election.

The dossier includes very specific allegations about Trump's alleged sexual escapades in Russia before his election as US President, such as the alleged recording of a "golden showers" sex party from 2013 by the Russian intelligence service FSB. Trump has vehemently denied these allegations, calling them "fake news" and speaking of a "witch hunt".

The Steele Dossier also alleges further sex parties in St. Petersburg and bribery of Russian officials, which Trump has challenged. Trump's lawsuit against Orbis Business Intelligence, the company that compiled the dossier, was aimed at restoring his reputation. However, the lawsuit failed due to a procedural issue, and Trump was ordered to pay £626,000 (approximately €727,000) in legal costs.

It is important to note that an independent, comprehensive investigation by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of criminal activity by the Trump team. The allegations about "golden showers" and other events in the Steele Dossier were addressed by Trump in a written statement.

The Steele Dossier was commissioned by organizations affiliated with the Democratic presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton. This fact has sparked speculation that the dossier may have been a deliberate disinformation campaign from Moscow. However, the accuracy of the dossier remains highly contested, and its direct impact on the Trump-Putin relationship is ambiguous.

U.S. intelligence agencies, including the FBI, thoroughly investigated the dossier’s claims but were unable to substantiate the substantive allegations. The 2019 Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report and the 2023 Durham report specifically noted that the FBI did not corroborate any substantive allegations contained in the Steele reports.

Regarding its impact on intelligence assessments, official statements and investigations have clarified that the Steele dossier did not influence the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russian election interference. Nevertheless, newly declassified information has sparked controversy over whether former CIA Director John Brennan and other Obama-era officials misrepresented or overstated the dossier’s role to Congress and the media, raising questions about political influences on intelligence public messaging.

In terms of the Trump-Putin relationship:

The dossier itself alleged a "well-developed conspiracy" managed by Trump campaign officials, but these claims remain unverified in significant detail.
The dossier's publication and the related FBI investigations heightened suspicion and political tensions surrounding Trump’s ties to Russia, influencing public discourse and official scrutiny of the relationship.
However, there is no public evidence confirming collusion or a formal conspiracy between Trump and Putin as alleged by the dossier; some contacts and willingness to work with Russia were documented but without proof of criminal coordination.

In summary, while the Steele dossier contributed to public and investigative interest in potential Trump-Russia connections, its factual accuracy is doubtful, and it did not underpin official governmental conclusions on Russian interference. Its impact on the Trump-Putin relationship was primarily indirect, shaping perceptions and investigations rather than establishing confirmed collusion or cooperation.