Christopher Devlin

Christopher Steele, born June 24, 1964, is a former British intelligence officer who served with the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) for 22 years, retiring in 2009. During his tenure, he held significant roles, including heading the Russia Desk at MI6 headquarters from 2006 to 2009 and serving as a counterintelligence specialist involved in the Litvinenko poisoning investigation. Following his retirement, Steele co-founded Orbis Business Intelligence, a private intelligence firm. His career gained significant public attention due to his authorship of the "Steele dossier," a controversial opposition research report that alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election and compromising information on Donald Trump. Steele stated his motivation for releasing the dossier was a concern for national security. His work with the FBI as a confidential human source concluded after discussions with the press regarding the dossier's contents.

Born in Aden, Yemen, on June 24, 1964, Christopher David Steele's early life was shaped by his parents' work and his father's coal mining background. He spent his formative years in Aden, the Shetland Islands, and Cyprus, attending British forces schools. His education continued at a Berkshire sixth form college and Wellington College. Steele matriculated at Cambridge University in 1982, where he was involved with the student newspaper, Varsity, and served as president of the Cambridge Union debating society in 1986. He graduated from Cambridge in 1986 with a degree in social and political sciences.

Upon graduating from Cambridge in 1987, Steele was recruited by MI6. He initially worked at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) before being posted to Moscow under diplomatic cover from 1990 to 1993, where he traveled extensively. He returned to London and the FCO, later serving in Bangkok and Paris under diplomatic cover until 2002. Steele also contributed to training new MI6 recruits. From 2004 to 2009, he was a senior officer, acting as case officer for Alexander Litvinenko and participating in the investigation of his poisoning. From 2006 to 2009, he led the Russia Desk at MI6 headquarters. His 22-year career with MI6 concluded in 2009.

In 2009, Steele co-founded Orbis Business Intelligence, a private intelligence firm. Orbis undertook various investigations, including work for The Football Association concerning FIFA and for a law firm representing Oleg Deripaska. Between 2014 and 2016, Steele produced numerous reports on Russian and Ukrainian affairs, which were circulated within the US Department of State. His investigation "Project Charlemagne" examined Russian interference in European politics. Steele gained widespread notoriety for authoring the "Steele dossier," a report commissioned by Fusion GPS for the Hillary Clinton campaign. The dossier contained allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US election and compromising material on Donald Trump. Steele provided the dossier to British and American intelligence officials, citing national security concerns. His cooperation with the FBI as a confidential human source was terminated in November 2016.