Grading the Steele dossier 2 years later: what's been corroborated and what's still unclear

Thomson Reuters

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

• Thursday marks two years since the so-called Steele dossier, an explosive collection of memos alleging collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia, was published.
• The document was compiled by the former British spy Christopher Steele.
• Many of the dossier's claims remain uncorroborated, but several allegations have held up.

Thursday marks two years since the so-called Steele dossier, an explosive collection of memos alleging collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia, was published by BuzzFeed News for public consumption.

The largely unverified document, compiled by the former British spy Christopher Steele, consists of 16 separate reports that total 35 pages.

The FBI and the Senate Intelligence Committee are both known to be using the dossier as a "roadmap" in their respective investigations into Russia's interference in the 2016 US election. The FBI also used the document to support, in part, its application for a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant targeting Carter Page, a former Trump campaign adviser who has drawn scrutiny over his Russia ties.

Trump dismissed the memos as a "pile of garbage," and he and his Republican allies frequently accuse the FBI of fabricating the information to oust Trump from office.

Two years later, many of the dossier's claim remain uncorroborated. But several allegations have proven, at least in part, to have held up over time.