A series of memos, written by a person claiming to be a former British intelligence official and based on information gathered from senior Russian intelligence sources, says the Kremlin has a dossier of compromising material on president-elect Donald Trump. The memos, which are unverified, were published in full by Buzzfeed but have been circulated among journalists and politicians for several months.
CNN reports that both President Barack Obama and Trump were briefed on the memos last week, as part of the intelligence agencies report into Russian hacking of the presidential election. A two-page synopsis of the memos was attached to the main report.
Perhaps the two most damaging claims relate to an allegation of ongoing collusion between Trump campaign officials and Russian intelligence, facilitating the sharing of sensitive information beneficial to both sides; and allegations that Russia has video footage of Trump watching sex workers engage in a sex act.
The memos, dated June 20 to October 20 of last year—are based on the former intelligence agent's "recent interactions with Russian sources," according to an interview he conducted with Mother Jones' David Corn in October. An official in the U.S. administration who spoke to the Guardian described the author of the memos as "consistently reliable, meticulous, and well-informed, with a reputation for having extensive Russian contacts."
The Guardian reports that Sen. John McCain learned of the existence of the memos and sent an emissary to speak with the source before he met with FBI Director James Comey to present the information. This meeting took place on Dec. 9.