An analyst who served as a primary source for the infamous 2016 Steele dossier was charged with lying to the FBI in special counsel John Durham’s investigation, The Washington Post reports.
Igor Danchenko, a Russian-born analyst who lives in the United States, was charged with repeatedly lying to the FBI about where and how he got information that later made its way into former British spy Christopher Steele’s dossier.
Danchenko served as the “primary sub-source” for the dossier and was hired by Steele to gain information about any potential ties former President Donald Trump may have to the Kremlin with his associates in Russia.
Steele at the time was paid by a research firm that was hired by Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee.
Danchenko accused of lying:
Danchenko is charged with lying to the FBI in multiple interviews. The indictment says the FBI “was ultimately not able to confirm or corroborate” most of the claims in the dossier.
Danchenko is also accused of lying to the FBI that he never discussed the dossier with an American PR executive who “was a long-time participant in Democratic Party politics” and actually was a “contributor of information” to the dossier.
He is also charged with lying about interactions he said he had with Sergei Millian, who was the president of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce. Danchenko claimed that he spoke with Millian for the dossier and agreed to later meet but “Danchenko fabricated these facts,” according to the indictment.
The indictment says Danchenko “played a role in the FBI’s investigative decisions and in sworn representations that the FBI made to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.”
Durham probe continues:
Durham, a former US attorney who was appointed by then-Attorney General Bill Barr to serve as a special counsel for a probe into the Russia investigation, recently charged a lawyer at a firm employed by the Democratic Party with lying to the FBI as well.
Attorney Michael Sussman was charged with lying to the FBI in 2016. The indictment alleges that Sussman reported potentially suspicious cyber activity by the Trump Organization. He claimed that he was not acting on behalf of a client but was actually representing the Clinton campaign and a tech executive, according to the indictment.
Sussman has pleaded not guilty. His attorneys argued that the alleged statement was not recorded or included in any contemporaneous notes. Then-FBI Counsel James Baker “already disclaimed memory of the statement,” attorneys said.
