But at least he is working. Federal authorities today arrested Igor Danchenko, an “analyst” who in 2016 gathered leads about possible links between Donald Trump and Russia for Democratic-funded opposition research. Danchenko was what Christopher Steele, who put the phony dossier together, has described as his “primary sub-source.”
Gathering leads for opposition research can be a nasty business but, without more, it’s not a crime. However, lying to federal authorities is. This, according to the Washington Post, is what Danchenko is being charged with.
Convicting Danchenko of lying to the FBI would be very small potatoes. It’s possible, however, that as part of plea deal, Danchenko might provide Durham with something, or someone, bigger.
Ed Morrissey points out that DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, in a 2019 report, suspected Danchenko of having been a Russian spy. If nothing else, this adds spice to this story. It may also add context to Steele dossier.
It’s usual to end a post like this with the word “developing.” I’ll end mine by saying “developing slowly.”
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