Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is seeking more information from FBI Director James Comey over the bureau's plans to pay the ex-British intelligence agent who compiled the dirty dossier on President Trump.

Grassley sent a letter to Comey today pointing to the Washington Post story, published last week, which revealed the FBI's plans to pay former MI6 agent Christopher Steele to do further research for the bureau.

'The idea that the FBI and associates of the Clinton campaign would pay Mr. Steele to investigate the Republican nominee for president in the run-up to the election raises further questions about the FBI's independence from politics, as well as the Obama administration's use of law enforcement and intelligence agencies for political ends,' Grassley, an Iowa Republican, charged.

FBI Director James Comey (left) was sent a letter today by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (right) asking about the bureau's plans to pay the former British spy who compiled the dirty dossier on President Donald Trump

James Comey (right), shaking hands with the president in late January, was asked how the FBI received the contents of the dossier, much of which has been unsubstantiated, and whether the bureau has verified any of allegations found within

Steele was first hired to compile opposition research on Trump by a Republican, though later a Democrat aligned with the party's nominee was paying a D.C. firm for Steele's work.

The FBI never acted on paying Steele, the Washington Post said, once the contents of the dossier became public knowledge, as well as Steele's name.

Grassley outlined a number of questions he wanted Comey to answer by March 20 and instructed the FBI chief to schedule a briefing with lawmakers, connecting them with officials who might have information on this arrangement.

Among the items he wanted answered: 'How did the FBI first obtain Mr. Steele’s Trump investigation memos?'

Along with: 'Has the FBI verified or corroborated any of the allegations made in the memos?'

Comey briefed Trump on the existence of the dossier during a private meeting in January.

CNN reported on its existence, while Buzzfeed decided to release its contents, though told readers that much of the dossier's contents were unproven.

The most salacious claims involved Trump hiring prostitutes to urinate on a bed the Obamas slept on at a Moscow Ritz-Carlton.

The dossier also alleged that there was was a continuous exchange of information between team Trump and the 'intermediaries for the Russian government' throughout the presidential campaign.

Today Grassley told Comey that he was aware that it was FBI policy not to comment on ongoing investigations, but that he hoped eventually the findings would at least make it as far as Capitol Hill.

'Given the inflammatory nature of the allegations in Mr. Steele's dossier, if the FBI is undertaking or has undertaken any investigation of the claims, will you please inform the Committee at the conclusion of any investigation as to what information the investigations discovered and what conclusions the FBI reached?' Grassley requested.

'Simply put, when allegations like these are put into the public domain prior to any FBI assessment of their reliability, then if subsequent FBI investigation of the allegations finds them false, unsupported, or unreliable, the FBI should make those rebuttals public,' Grassley argued before signing off.



