Thread by @PiperK

I'm reading this and highly recommend. Christopher Steele got such a raw deal, as did all his sources. 1/

People misread the Steele dossier. It's what I'd call "fluid intelligence" that was collected from dozens of sources, all of whom were saying the same thing.

It was collected and reported in the moment, with urgency. The FBI ignored it for months, which helped Trump win. 2/

They should have announced an investigation into Trump's Russian connections before the election, or at least kept quiet about Hillary's emails if they were worried about the Hatch Act. 3/

Steele always wanted his raw intelligence to be investigated, not published. He wanted more eyes on what his sources were reporting, not on the dossier itself. People now call the dossier "hearsay," which is a complete misunderstanding of standard intelligence collection. 4/

Steele certainly didn't want his sources to be outed, have their lives put in danger, and have to go into hiding himself. 5/

But, rather than investigating or protecting sources, the FBI treated the dossier like a time bomb that might upset Trump. Everyone wanted to hide it, aside from a few reporters. 6/

After Buzzfeed published it in Jan. 2017, it was treated like Christians read the Bible--as literal and solid--rather than the fluid, oral espionage product that it always was.

In the former capacity, it could be picked apart and "discredited" for any flaw. 7/

The FBI had accepted hundreds of similar reports from Christopher Steele, who was a highly respected spy in both Britain and the US. He exposed Putin's FIFA corruption. They should have explained his work product. 8/

But, as usual, everyone was more afraid of Trump than of the implications of the dossier. The British Embassy in Washington even briefed Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner before anyone else knew about the dossier. 9/

Meanwhile, the Steeles lost everything. His wife lost her job, and they had to be separated and leave their home for fear of being killed. 10/

I seriously can't put down this book. 11/ amazon.com/Unredacted-Rus…

Wow. Trump owes Christopher Steele $406,000 in court costs for a frivolous case he brought against Steele in the UK.

He has no intention of paying. 12/

I think Buzzfeed's decision to publish the dossier, which was leaked by John McCain's staffer, had terrible ripples that frightened (and injured) everyone.

The Mueller investigation didn't even touch the dossier, as explained.... 13/

in their book: "We would not chase unfounded leads in the infamous dossier."

The FBI dropped Steele and his sources like hot potatoes, with tragic implications.

But the good news is that Steele is still working, though he won't talk to the FBI now, for obvious reasons. 14/

He has uncovered a Russian assassination list for people in the U.S., reports that Russia is engaging in sabotage in NATO countries, evidence that Putin is weaponizing migration through Mexico, and other juicy tidbits, which are revealed in the last chapters. 15/

His understanding of the complex relationship between China and Russia, as played out through the war in Ukraine, is particularly fascinating.

We ignore him at our own peril. 16/