A former MI6 spy has endured death threats and his children have been targeted on the Dark Web after he was revealed as the author of an explosive dossier on Donald Trump, he told the High Court.
Christopher Steele penned a series of memos on the US politician in the run-up to the 2016 election, reporting on claims that Trump had sex with prostitutes and engaged in “perverted sexual acts” while being monitored by Russia agents.
It was alleged Russia had obtained compromising material on Trump, making him vulnerable to manipulation.
Mr Steele was identified as the author of the dossier in January 2017, and his company Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd is now being sued by Trump in a data protection claim in the High Court in London.
In his witness statement, Mr Steele said he has “faced a barrage of abuse and threats” since his name was released, and accused Trump encouraging it with “vitriolic public statements”.
“The abuse and threats have been sent directly by email to Orbis and appear on social media, in the mainstream media (especially certain prominent outlets in the US) and, I am reliably informed, on the Dark Web”, he said.
“This has included threats to kill me, mutilate me (e.g. gouge out my eyes and cut my fingers off) and attack my children.
“It continues even now, more than six years on.”
Mr Steele said he learned recently of money being offered on the Dark Web for the addresses of his grown-up children, as well as “tenders” for the identities of junior Orbis staffers “with a view to approaching and pressuring them to divulge commercial secrets”.
“This is very stressful and upsetting”, he added.
Mr Steele said Orbis has faced thousands of cyber attacks, attempts to break-in to their offices, and efforts to film and photograph him and his colleagues.
“Many of these attacks, intrusions and operations have been by Americans, indirectly encouraged in my opinion by the conduct of (Trump) and his acolytes.
It has made it impossible for me to leave our family home empty and has increased the pressure on me, my family and my colleagues generally.”
He added that he and his family are now on Surrey Special Branch’s “list of local public figures at risk”.
Trump complains in the legal case that Mr Steele’s dossier, when leaked, caused him reputational damage, with claims that he hired prostitutes “to engage in golden showers in the presidential suite of a hotel in Moscow”, paid bribes to Russian officials, and took part in “sex parties” in St Petersburg.
“None of these things ever happened”, said the former US President, who has vowed to give evidence in London if the case goes to trial.
Mr Steele, in his statement, said he was “devastated” when the dossier was first published on the BuzzFeed news website, having gone to extreme lengths to keep it secret and share it only with select trusted individuals.
He gave information to the FBI out of concern for US and UK security, and then shared information with the late Senator John McCain. An aide to McCain was the source of the leak, it has emerged.
Mr Steele said he agreed to give secret evidence to an investigation into alleged Russian interference in the US election – the Mueller report – and said Trump’s decision to declassify his testimony on his last day in the White House, as well as arranging for it to be published, was “truly shocking and arguably constitute one of the most egregious breaches of intelligence rules and protocol by the US government in recent times”.
“As a result…several Russian sources named in my testimony were exposed and suffered varying consequences afterwards”, he said.
“Two of the named Russian sources have not been seen or heard of since.”
Mr Steele argues Trump has a “grudge” against him, and highlighted social media posts from the former President calling the dossier “phony” and referring to him as a “failed spy”.
And he added that he had a friendship and professional relationship with Trump’s daughter Ivanka which her father was originally unaware of.
“His discovery of it….severely damaged their relationship”, he said. “I infer that the Claimant’s discovery of my friendship with his daughter further deepened his animus towards me and is one of the reasons for his vindictive and vexatious conduct towards me and Orbis.”Mrs Justice Steyn has overseen preliminary applications in the case, including a bid by Orbis for Trump’s claim to be thrown out.
She is due to deliver her ruling at a later date.
