At least three versions of the “Steele dossier” were floating around Washington just before the elections:
- what the FBI was receiving directly from Steele — a liar, a charlatan, and a contractor with Fusion GPS working for the DNC
- a version introduced by Nellie (Fusion GPS) and Bruce Ohr (DOJ) to the FBI
- a version that James A. Baker accepted from Mother Jones’ journalist David Corn
From the interview of James A. Baker (FBI General Counsel) before a House Committee:
Mr. Jordan [Representative, R-OH]. Okay. I’m going to move to another subject here.
Tell me about your relationship with David Corn.
Mr. Baker. David Corn?
Mr. Jordan. Yeah.
Mr. Baker. David is a friend of mine.
…
Mr. Baker. I don’t remember now. I just don’t remember now how
he told me that he’d got it. Because there were various copies of the
dossier floating around Washington, I guess you would say, and the FBI
was getting it, you know —
Mr. Jordan. There were at least three different copies, in my
understanding, and they were getting it from all kinds of sources,
including the author of the dossier himself; and also including Bruce
Ohr. So you definitely had conversations with David Corn prior to the
elections about the dossier?
Mr. Baker. I believe that’s correct.
…
Mr. Jordan. So about the same timeframe. Are we talking October
2016? September 2016?
Mr. Baker. No, it was sometime earlier than that. I don’t
specifically remember. It was earlier than the David Corn
conversation.
Mr. Jordan. Was it between July 31st, 2016, and election day
2016?
Mr. Baker. I don’t specifically remember. It could have been.
Mr. Meadows. You don’t specifically remember. But obviously
July 31st is a date that you know very well in terms of what happened
on that particular date.
So was it before that date or after? Not specific. I mean, had
you opened up the investigation or not when you got that information?
Mr. Baker. So I apologize, I, sitting here today, I don’t
specifically remember the —
Mr. Meadows. So do you have a calendar that would indicate this?
Mr. Baker. When Sussman came in? Probably.
…
Mr. Jordan. Mr. Baker, is it fair to say that any materials
passed by the FBI general counsel automatically have a reliability and
a level of credibility attached to them? You’re the FBI’s general
counsel, if you’re getting information from an outside source and
passing it, on that means something.
Mr. Baker. I suppose so, Congressman.
Mr. Jordan. And people are going to take seriously when the FBI
general counsel has some source giving them information related to a
pretty darn important investigation, they’re going to take that pretty
seriously and follow up on it.
Mr. Baker. Within the organization, the Bureau?
Mr. Jordan. Yes.
Mr. Baker. Yes, I would say so.
Mr. Jordan. Okay. Is anyone else giving you information? So
we know about Mr. Corn giving you some of the dossier. We know about
Mr. Sussman [of Perkins Coie, a law firm for the DNC] giving you material not directly related to the dossier, but related to the Russia investigation. Anyone else give you
information in the course of the Russia investigation?