By Steve Neavling
A new memoir by former MI6 spy Christopher Steele, best known for his controversial 2016 dossier on Donald Trump, claims Russian military intelligence plotted to kidnap Americans in Syria or Iraq ahead of the 2020 U.S. election to boost Trump’s standing.
Steele’s book, “Unredacted: Russia, Trump, and the Fight for Democracy,” will be published today.
In the memoir, Steele makes no secret of his opposition to Trump and alleges that the Russian government devised a plan to stage an “October surprise” to sway the election in Trump’s favor.
According to Steele, a senior Russian intelligence officer outlined a plot to kidnap or take hostages in the Middle East, with the goal of orchestrating a speedy resolution that would elevate Trump’s image.
The plan, Steele claims, aimed to either allow Trump to resolve the crisis himself or set up a joint operation between Russian and U.S. forces, making Russia appear as a valuable ally to the U.S. The ultimate goal was to present Trump’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a strategic advantage, according to Steele’s sources.
The book includes an excerpt from a report by Steele’s private research firm, Orbis Business Intelligence, which describes secret meetings held by a small group within Russia’s GRU headquarters to plan the kidnapping operation. The alleged plan had a tight deadline of Oct. 20, 2020, giving Trump little time to capitalize on the situation before Election Day.
Steele, who stands by the credibility of his sources, describes the plot as “radical” and “highly risky,” but indicative of the lengths Russia was willing to go to secure Trump’s re-election.
As Steele’s memoir hits shelves, it adds a new chapter to the ongoing controversy surrounding Russia’s interference in U.S. elections.
