Trump Presses Supreme Court Chief Justice on Russia Dossier

August 29, 2018, 11:55 PM

U.S. President Donald Trump answers questions from the news media during an event at which he announced a grant for a drug-free communities support program in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Aug. 29, 2018.

WASHINGTON —

President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S. Supreme Court chief justice should tell the head of a national security court to question FBI and Justice Department officials about their use of a so-called Russia dossier as part of a collusion probe.

Trump singled out Justice Department official Bruce Ohr in a message on Twitter, apparently quoting a Fox News analyst. Ohr is linked to the dossier of allegations of possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia.

The dossier was compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele in work partly financed by the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Republican critics of the dossier have focused heavily on its DNC ties and U.S. surveillance of Trump associates.

Trump's Twitter post misspelled the judge’s name.

Rosemary Collyer is the presiding judge for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which oversees electronic surveillance requests and search warrants sought by federal authorities.

Some Republicans charge that Steele’s Russia dossier, which contains a number of inflammatory and salacious allegations about Trump, was used improperly by Justice and FBI officials to persuade the FISA court to extend an eavesdropping warrant against a Trump campaign adviser.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is currently investigating Russian efforts to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election and whether there was collusion with the Trump campaign.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia tried to help Trump win the 2016 election, but the Kremlin denies meddling. Trump denies any collusion and has said Steele’s Russia dossier is “bogus.”

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