Some explosive allegations are coming out of the trial of Igor Danchenko, a Russian analyst indicted on five counts of making false statements to the FBI in 2017, which he denies.
The trial relates to attempts by the FBI to corroborate allegations of contact between then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and Russian government officials.
One of the moments from Danchenko's trial that captured attention came from the testimony of a senior FBI analyst about a substantial financial incentive.
He said the agency offered retired British spy Christopher Steele—who now runs private research and intelligence firm Fusion GPS—"up to $1 million" in 2016 to provide information on Trump that could corroborate the allegation of colluding with Russia to win the election.
The Claim
"I know no one cares anymore, but today we learned that the FBI tried to use taxpayer money to pay a foreign spy $1M to deliver campaign-destroying information on Donald Trump prior to the 2016 election," tweeted @bonchieredstate in a post garnering more than 20,000 likes.
I know no one cares anymore, but today we learned that the FBI tried to use taxpayer money to pay a foreign spy $1M to deliver campaign-destroying information on Donald Trump prior to the 2016 election.
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) October 11, 2022
That's so much worse than Watergate.
The Facts
While the tweet doesn't state so explicitly, drawing on the context suggests that it is referencing Christopher Steele.
The controversial "Steele dossier" was first triggered initially by GOP-linked website the Washington Free Beacon and later picked up for "opposition research" by Democrats during the 2016 presidential campaign.
It included allegations of contact between the Trump campaign and Russian government officials, including those (as it was later established) made by the report's main source Danchenko.
Prosecutors now accuse Danchenko of lying about the information provided and his sources, an accusation he denies.
Special counsel John Durham, who's leading the case against Danchenko, asked FBI supervisory analyst Brian Auten on October 11 if the FBI ever offered to provide Steele with any incentives in exchange for information corroborating his dossier's allegations.
Auten responded: "Yes, it did. Mr. Steele was offered anywhere up to a million dollars."
According to Auten, Steele was made the $1 million offer by the agency in October 2016 during a meeting in the U.K. between the former British spy and a number of FBI officials.
Auten, the first prosecution's witness in the trial, said that the Steele dossier was used to reinforce the surveillance around Trump, even though the FBI couldn't corroborate the allegations contained in the report.
However, a number of details in the tweet above and other social media comments are not entirely accurate and in some cases misleading.
While Steele has indeed previously worked for the British foreign intelligence service MI6, he did not represent it in this case, and acted as a private citizen, not a "foreign spy."
It is also a mischaracterization of the FBI's work to say it sought to incentivize "a spy... to deliver campaign-destroying information" on Trump. The FBI as part of its investigation was seeking to "corroborate or refute" the serious allegations.
The reference to "taxpayers money" is likewise misleading because it is not unusual for the FBI to pay informants and the agency does not make a secret out of it.
In information available on its website, the FBI writes that "informants are individuals who supply information to the FBI on a confidential basis," adding that "they are not hired or trained employees of the FBI, although they may receive compensation in some instances for their information and expenses."
It is also worth noting that the money was never paid, according to Auten's testimony.
When pressed by Durham about whether Steele ever received the promised $1 million in exchange for information on Trump, Auten said that Steele could not provide information that would confirm the agency's allegations against Trump, and thus was never paid.
The Ruling
Needs Context.
While the essence of the claim is accurate, the details are missing key context. The FBI offered money to a former foreign government agent, now a private citizen. It did so under the standard intelligence gathering procedures (including offers of compensation to sources), in an attempt to "corroborate or refute" the allegations.
FACT CHECK BY NEWSWEEK
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
