by Joe Simonson
The FBI released its internal records on Christopher Steele, the former British spy behind the controversial “Russia dossier.”
One problem: Nearly every page has been redacted.
The total records, made public Friday, span 71 pages and contains various documents showing payments to Steele, who is referred to as a “Confidential Human Source,” over an unlisted period of time.
While most of the documents are nearly completely redacted, they do show that in February 2016 the FBI had “admonished” Steele.
“Verbally admonished the [Confidential Human Source] CHS with CHS admonishments, which the CHS fully acknowledged, signed and dated,” the document reads.
However, according to NBC, ” an admonishment is typically given when a person begins a stint as a confidential informant and annually thereafter. It is a briefing on the rules of being an informant to ensure the source complies with guidelines set by the Attorney General, and usually not criticism of the source.”
The documents also reveal that Steele disclosed to a third party that he was working for the FBI as an informant, as well as the fact that Steele was the source for a news article.
By Nov. 1, the agency signaled that it would likely end its relationship with Steele and that he should refrain from “obtain[ing] any intelligence whatsoever on behalf of the FBI.”
Friday’s release of the files is unlikely to quell any concerns by Republicans that Steele was an improper asset for the FBI.
In January 2017, BuzzFeed news published Steele’s dossier of various allegations regarding President Donald Trump and those within his orbit. Many of those allegations have yet been proven.
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Joe Simonson is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation. Follow Joe on Twitter @sayssimonson.
