The 'fake news' dossier on Trump's ties to Russia is looking increasingly credible

LONDONDonald Trump declared the author of the bombshell dossier on his ties to Russia a "failed spy" on Friday. Christopher Steele's former colleagues and friends beg to differ.In fact, there has been an avalanche of support for Steele's credentials in the British press over the past two days, the cumulativeeffect of which has been to add credibility to the unproven allegations against the US President-elect. This may go some way to explaining Trump'slatest flurry of Twitter fury.Here are some key things we now know about Trump dossier author Christopher Steele:Steele was a high-ranking MI6 official. He worked at Britain's intelligence service for years and was an eminent specialist on Russia, according to The Guardian. He served in Paris and Moscow in the 1990s before retiring. He now runs intelligence company Orbis Business Intelligence with Christopher Burrows, a former British Foreign Office counsellor.He has a network of sources in Russia. The New York Times said he is known for having an "intricate web of Kremlin-tied companies and associates that control Russia." He called on these contacts to compile the allegations against Trump.Steele has been trusted by the FBI and others with sensitive work. Reuters reported that the intelligence expert supplied the FBI with information on corruption at football's world governing body FIFA in 2010. He also gathered intelligence on Russia for England's 2018 World Cup bid team. Russia ultimately triumphed during the bidding process.He has friends in high places. Sir Andrew Wood, a former British ambassador to Moscow who helped alert US intelligence to the dossier, said Steele is a "very competent professional operator."It hasn't all been one-way traffic, however. The dossier, which was published in full by BuzzFeed, does have its detractors. Elements of it have been proven to be untrue, most notably its incorrect spelling of Russian conglomerate Alfa Group as "Alpha-Group." It also said Trumps personal lawyer Michael Cohen travelled to Prague to meet with Russian officials. Cohen has since said he has never been to Prague.Then there was this from another former British ambassador to Moscow: Sir Tony Brenton. He told Sky News:"I've seen quite a lot of intelligence on Russia, and there are some things in it which look pretty shaky. For example it claims that the Russians began to cultivate Donald Trump five years ago. If they did that they showed remarkable prescience because at the time he had nothing to do with American politics."Trump's view is clear: The dossier is dodgy, he has said stridently. But it may bea gamble."It's the biggest political bet he is ever going to make," Republican strategist Rick Wilson told the BBC. "The bet is this: He can bluster his way through this, there's nothing there. That at no point at any time in his multiple trips to Russia did he engage in any behaviour that was caught on tape. That's a big bet. If he's right, he's right. If he's not, it's going to have some significant consequences for this credibility."Join the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: Watch President Obama tear up while addressing Michelle in his farewell speech
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