UPDATE ... The Associated Press reports that according to an FBI agent's testimony on Thursday, Igor Danchenko -- the Russian-born analyst who provided the bulk of the information for a flawed dossier about former President Donald Trump -- told an FBI agent he was shocked and dismayed that the speculative information he provided was portrayed as fact. (More details)
The trial of Igor Danchenko (pictured above) is in full swing. He is a former employee at the left-wing Brookings Institution who was the primary source for Christopher Steele's infamous "Trump/Russia collusion dossier." He has been charged with five counts of lying to the FBI.
But in a blockbuster revelation from Special Counsel John Durham, the court this week learned that the FBI offered Christopher Steele $1 million if he could actually prove any of the wild allegations in the dossier. But neither Steele nor Danchenko could.
A conservative political pundit is concerned that the criminal case stemming from the long investigation into the anti-Trump Steele Dossier could be the last hurrah for Special Counsel John Durham – and she contends she is not alone in that concern. "A lot of people are speaking out," says Sandy Rios, director of governmental affairs at American Family Association. "A lot of people who I know on the inside are saying they thought for a long time that [Durham] was going to come through – but this trial is kind of his last hurrah; and they don't think he's going to accomplish [much]." |
Gary Bauer, chairman of the Campaign for Working Families, sees it as a "threat to the republic" when growing evidence indicates elements of federal law enforcement were involved in the effort.
"Now, I continue to believe these were rogue elements in the FBI and other places, but it's wrong to think that it was only one or two people," he cautions. "There are a lot of whistleblowers in the FBI and other places coming forward now to testify about what they're seeing inside these agencies that we have trusted with great power."
There needs to be accountability, says Bauer – and he's hopeful that happens in the near future.
"We don't see hearings about it [and] we don't see other things happening because, quite frankly, the Left controls the House and Senate – and they won't allow those hearings," he explains. "So, in a few weeks when the election takes place, depending on the outcome, we may in fact in January of next year – in addition to cleaning up Joe Biden's mess of the last two years – we might have an opportunity to have investigative hearings that get to the bottom of this corruption."
In his End of Day report Wednesday, Bauer points out that instead of shutting down the investigation in January 2017 and exonerating then-President Donald Trump, the FBI actually put Danchenko on the government payroll.
Editor's Note: The American Family Association is the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates AFN.net.
