The primary subsource for the infamous anti-Donald Trump “Steele dossier” was paid by the FBI for years and said in an email that he was working on a project “against Trump,” according to a new filing from special counsel John Durham’s team.
Danchenko remained an informant until October 2020.
The FBI declined to comment, referring The Epoch Times to the Department of Justice. The department did not respond to a query.
Danchenko, a Russian national who lives in the United States, is scheduled to be tried in October on five counts of lying to the FBI.
Prosecutors say Danchenko lied in multiple interviews with agents about information he conveyed to British ex-spy Christopher Steele, who compiled the dossier while being paid by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
Steele has expressed animus against Trump.
Danchenko disclosed in an email ahead of the 2016 election that he was part of an effort that was “against Trump,” according to the new filing.
“Could you please ask someone to comment on Manafort’s resignation and anything on Trump campaign? Off the record of course! Any thought, rumor, allegation,” Danchenko wrote to Charles Dolan, a longtime Clinton associate, on Aug. 19, 2016.
Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign manager, had just resigned.
“I am working on a related project against Trump. I asked [an acquaintance of Dolan] three months ago but he didn’t say much although shared a couple of valuable insights,” Danchenko added.
“Given that Dolan was aware of the fact that the defendant was employed by Steele, the only inference to be drawn is that the ‘project against Trump’ was being done on behalf of Steele and Orbis,” prosecutors said in the new filing.
Orbis Business Intelligence is the consultancy that employs Steele.
Danchenko also sent another message to his former employer, Cenk Sidar, regarding reports Sidar was providing on subjects including energy.
“Emphasize sources. Make them bold or CAPITALISED [sic]. The more sources the better. If you lack them, use oneself as a source (‘Istanbul-Washington-based businessman’ or whatever) to save the situation and make it look a bit better,” Danchenko wrote on Feb. 24, 2016, soon before he began working with Steele, according to the new filing.
Danchenko’s advice is consistent with the way he denied or fabricated the roles of certain individuals, including businessman Sergei Millian, according to the government.
Prosecutors have said Danchenko lied about key details, including falsely saying he did not get information from Dolan for the dossier.
Danchenko has pleaded not guilty.
