Ex-Spy Steele Defends Controversial Trump Dossier in New Book

Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence officer who gained notoriety for his controversial dossier on Donald Trump and Russian interference in the 2016 US election, has reentered the public eye with a new book. "Unredacted: Russia, Trump, and the Fight for Democracy" serves as both a memoir and a warning about potential future threats to Western democracy.

Born in Aden, Yemen, in 1964, Steele's career in intelligence began after his studies at Cambridge University. At 25, he was posted to Moscow, eventually rising to head the Russia desk for British intelligence. After leaving government service, Steele founded Orbis Business Intelligence, which led to his involvement in the now-infamous dossier.

The Steele dossier, compiled in 2016 and published by BuzzFeed News in January 2017, contained unverified claims about Trump's connections to Russia and alleged Russian interference in the US election. The most controversial assertion involved an unproven sex tape, which Steele continues to defend:

"Call me a stick in the mud, but probably, yes."

[[Steele on whether he would include the sex tape allegation if writing the dossier today]]

Steele's book, released in October 2024, comes at a critical time, just weeks before the US presidential election. In it, he predicts a "new world disorder" if Trump regains the presidency and portrays the former president as a greater threat to Western democracy than adversaries like China or Iran.

The Trump campaign has dismissed Steele's new claims, stating that any information from "this foreign agent who peddled the debunked Steele dossier should be wholly dismissed." They argue that media attention to Steele's work constitutes election interference.

Despite criticism and skepticism from various quarters, Steele maintains that his original intelligence came from credible sources and that many claims have not been disproven in court. He acknowledges that intelligence reports are typically only about 70% accurate but argues that publishing his findings is in the public interest.

Steele's book also reveals personal details, such as his American uncle's service in the US Army's 101st Airborne Division before D-Day, which he credits for his emotional attachment to the United States. He recounts meeting Ivanka Trump at Trump Tower in 2010 to discuss his firm's services, an encounter that later fueled accusations of a personal vendetta – claims Steele denies.

The publication of "Unredacted" has reignited debates about the Steele dossier's impact and the broader issues of Russian interference in Western democracies. While some view Steele as a whistleblower sounding crucial alarms, others see his work as discredited and potentially harmful to the democratic process.

As the 2024 US presidential election approaches, Steele's reemergence and new allegations ensure that the controversies surrounding the 2016 election and subsequent investigations will continue to be part of the political discourse.

In the years since the dossier's publication, Steele has faced legal challenges, including a lawsuit from Trump that was dismissed by a UK court in February 2024. The court ordered Trump to pay Steele a judgment of over $300,000, which Steele claims remains unpaid.

As Steele steps back into the spotlight, he hopes his book will serve as a warning about what he perceives as ongoing threats to democracy. However, his critics argue that his work has already been discredited and that further claims should be viewed with extreme skepticism.

The debate surrounding Steele's work underscores the complex interplay between intelligence, journalism, and politics in an era of heightened concerns about foreign interference in democratic processes. As the world watches the upcoming US election, the impact of Steele's new book on public opinion and political discourse remains to be seen.