Trump sues ex-spy over dossier, citing ‘shocking and scandalous claims’

Former President Trump is suing the former British spy behind the controversial Steele Dossier that detailed intel on potential links between Trump and Russia, asserting the report contained “shocking and scandalous claims” that were false and harmful to the former president’s reputation.

Trump’s lawyers filed suit in Britain against Orbis Business Intelligence, the company founded by Christopher Steele, a former MI6 agent who published a 35-page dossier including uncorroborated claims that Trump’s campaign and Russian agents conspired to influence the 2016 U.S. election, according to The Associated Press.

Hugh Tomlinson, a lawyer for Trump who appeared before a judge at London’s High Court on Monday, alleged the company violated British data protection laws and has “suffered personal and reputational damage and distress” as a result.

The former president has repeatedly claimed the dossier was “fake news” and a political witch hunt following the 2016 presidential election.

Steele, who led the Russia desk for MI6 — formally known as the Secret Intelligence Service — is looking to have the lawsuit dismissed during two days of hearings at London’s High Court, per AP reports.

Steele’s dossier has since been largely discredited and determined to be funded by Democrats during the 2016 presidential election. Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) settled a campaign finance inquiry last year, agreeing to pay $113,000 in fines stemming from the dossier.

While the dossier itself was not the basis for the FBI’s probe into Trump’s alleged ties to Russia, the report was heavily involved with the investigation led by former special counsel Robert Mueller.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to fight various legal battles in the United States, including an ongoing civil trial in New York over more than a decade of alleged fraud.

Trump also faces four separate criminal cases over accusations of his mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House, attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and hush money payments to cover up an affair.

A federal judge will hear from from Trump’s lawyers and the Justice Department on Monday over prosecutors’ request for a “narrow” gag order that would prohibit the former president from attacking witnesses and those involved in his Jan. 6 election interference case.

The Associated Press contributed.