Trump’s Declassification of Evidence Led to Disappearance of Sources, Ex-UK Spy Claims
Declassification Consequences
Donald Trump’s decision to declassify evidence provided by former British spy Christopher Steele regarding alleged ties with Russia resulted in the vanishing of two sources, Steele revealed in court documents made public on Tuesday.
Intelligence Breach
In a witness statement, Steele condemned Trump’s action, stating that it constituted one of the most egregious breaches of intelligence rules and protocol by the US government in recent times. He further emphasized that two of the named Russian sources have not been seen or heard from since.
Legal Maneuvers
The day after Trump requested London’s High Court to allow his data protection lawsuit against British private investigations firm Orbis Business Intelligence to proceed, Steele’s witness statement was released to the public. Trump’s lawsuit aims to disprove the claims made in the “Steele dossier” published by BuzzFeed in 2017.
Unsubstantiated Allegations
The dossier alleged connections between Trump’s campaign and Russia, as well as compromising material that could be used for blackmail. However, many of these allegations were never verified. Trump’s legal team has described the report as “egregiously inaccurate,” while the former president himself labeled it full of “numerous false, phoney, or made-up allegations.”
Counterarguments and Motivations
Orbis Business Intelligence contends that Trump’s lawsuit is merely an attempt to address personal grievances against the company and Steele. In response, Steele argued that Trump’s personal vendetta and discovery of his friendship with Ivanka, Trump’s daughter, fueled the former president’s vindictive conduct.
Damage to Intelligence Operations
Steele revealed that Trump declassified his evidence and shared it with a journalist on his final day in office. According to Steele, this publication severely harmed the US government’s Russian operations and ability to recruit new sources. He believes that Trump’s actions were motivated by revenge and a desire to inflict harm on Steele and Orbis.
Rebuttal
In his own witness statement, Trump dismissed any relevance between the claims being made and his relationship with Ivanka. He vehemently denied any allegations regarding his relationship with his daughter, labeling them as untrue and disgraceful.
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