Shepard Smith on Steele dossier: “None of the dossier, to Fox News' knowledge, has been disproven”

After White House revokes security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, a Trump critic who helped initiate the Trump-Russia probe, Smith debunks a talking point used to attack Brennan

From the August 15 edition of Fox News' Shepard Smith Reporting:

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SHEPARD SMITH (ANCHOR): The White House taking a step to revoke the security clearance from the former CIA director, John Brennan. Brennan was director of the CIA for four years, ending his term in January of last year. He's been a firm critic of the president, the president's actions, his governance, his conduct, and his statements.

...

Much of [Rudy] Giuliani's attack on Brennan involved the dossier compiled by the former British spy Christopher Steele that the administration has repeatedly asserted was what began the Russia investigation. It was not. The Russia investigation began after the former Trump policy adviser George Papadopoulos told an Australian diplomat that the Russians had dirt on his then-political opponent, Hillary Clinton. That information was passed on to intelligence officials.

Guliani calls that dossier laughable. For context, the research in the dossier includes 17 memos produced by the former spy Christopher Steele. They allege misconduct and a conspiracy between members of the Trump campaign and the Russian government during the 2016 election. Some assertions in the dossier have been confirmed. Other parts are unconfirmed. None of the dossier, to Fox News' knowledge, has been disproven. That said, the battle lines were drawn between John Brennan and President Trump. The president's defenders attacking John Brennan, with Brennan attacking the president. Today, just a short time ago, reporters asked the president's spokesperson, Sarah Sanders, whether he is trying to silence his enemies. 

Previously:

Fox & Friends host: It looks like the FBI concocted a fake Trump-Russia dossier to have a reason to spy on Trump

Fox's John Roberts inaccurately attacks the Trump-Russia dossier as “false information”

On Fox & Friends, NRATV's Dan Bongino says Russia investigation is “an obvious frame job”

Study: Sean Hannity spent the last year laying the groundwork for an authoritarian response to the Russia probe