Chasing the 'shiny object': FBI relied on Steele dossier despite concerns about judgment

The Justice Department watchdog offered fresh insight into the role played by former British MI6 agent Christopher Steele in the Trump-Russia investigation, revealing the FBI assessed Steele as reliable but prone to poor judgment.

A lightly redacted report released Monday by Inspector General Michael Horowitz criticizes the FBI’s use of a dossier compiled by Steele, which contained unverified claims regarding President Trump and Russia, to obtain Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants to monitor onetime Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, an American businessman suspected of being a Russian asset.