The FBI is making public the documents is has concerning payments to former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. Steele's compiled memos on his research into Donald Trump's Russia ties became what is known as the Steele dossier.
The heavily redacted records show FBI payments to Steele as a Confidential Human Source (CHS) over an unknown period. They also show that Steele told the FBI he had informed a third party he was acting as a CHS for the bureau, and that the FBI determined Steele had been a source for an online article.
On Nov. 1, 2016, according to the documents, the FBI told Steele it was unlikely to continue working with him, and he should not "obtain any intelligence whatsoever on behalf of the FBI."
The records also indicate that in February 2016 the FBI “admonished” Steele. A federal law enforcement official explains that an admonishment ... is a briefing on the rules of being an informant to ensure the source complies with guidelines set by the Attorney General, and usually not criticism of the source.
Because of the redactions, it is not possible to tell when payments to Steele began, but it has previously been reported that he assisted the FBI with past investigations, including a probe of corruption in international soccer.
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President Donald Trump and his allies have claimed that [Special Counsel Robert] Mueller's Russia investigation was improperly launched on the basis of the dossier and of a secret warrant that authorized electronic surveillance of former Trump aide Carter Page.
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The Steele dossier formed a portion of the evidence used to meet the surveillance warrant's legal burden of establishing "probable cause" that Page was an agent of Russia. But people who have read the supporting documents for the FISA warrants, including Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, say they contain secret evidence establishing ties between Page and Russians — evidence that goes beyond what was included in the dossier.
Records Between FBI and Christopher Steele (FBI)
FBI releases documents showing payments to Trump dossier author Steele (NBC News)