WASHINGTON _ Two senior Republican senators have urged the Justice Department to open an investigation into Christopher Steele, the former British spy who compiled a dossier of allegations about Donald Trump and Russia during the 2016 campaign.
Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who heads a Judiciary subcommittee on crime and terrorism, said they believe the former MI-6 operative lied to U.S. investigators about his contact with reporters.
"I don't take lightly making a referral for criminal investigation," Grassley said in a statement. "But, as I would with any credible evidence of a crime unearthed in the course of our investigations, I feel obliged to pass that information along to the Justice Department for appropriate review."
"Maybe there is some innocent explanation for the inconsistencies we have seen, but it seems unlikely," he added. "In any event, it's up to the Justice Department to figure that out."
The two said they sent a letter and classified memorandum to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray urging them to investigate Steele "for making potentially false statements" about the distribution of the dossier.
The statement says the referral "is not intended to be an allegation of a crime."
Still, the referral marks an escalation of Republican challenges to the Justice Department and the FBI as a special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, investigates whether Trump or his associates violated the law.
The dossier has become a partisan football in the sparring about the special counsel probe. Republicans view it as a crucial clue that deserves further investigation, while Democrats see it as a diversion.
Steele, who is based in London, compiled the material under a contract with Fusion GPS, a Washington-based firm that was hired first by Republicans, and later by Democrats, to collect information on Trump's alleged ties to Russia.
The document was posted online after the election. Trump has furiously denied the allegations it contains, and the FBI and reporters have been unable to verify many of the allegations.
A representative for Fusion GPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
