WASHINGTON Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence operative who authored a 35-page dossier alleging that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia, has been in talks with the Senate Intelligence Committee about speaking to its leaders, three sources familiar with the situation told NBC News.
In a development first reported on The Rachel Maddow Show Thursday night, the sources disputed the characterization of the situation by Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), the chairman of the committee. Burr said this week that Steele had flatly declined the committee's offer to speak to him, and the committee thus had "hit a brick wall," in its attempts to investigate the dossier.
One source close to Steele said that in late September, Steele relayed to Washington, through an associate, that Steele in fact would be happy to meet with Burr and Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat.
Two other sources said the situation was "more complicated" than Burr portrayed during a news conference Wednesday.