Former MI6 spy behind Trump dossier is Girton graduate

Christopher Steele, who is now thought to be in hiding, was also President of the Cambridge Union

Steele, photographed at a reunion at the Cambridge Union Society

by Anna Menin , Sophie Penney & Louis Ashworth

This article is 9 years old

Thursday January 12 2017, 4:46pm

The intelligence officer who produced a dossier at the heart of allegations against US President-elect Donald Trump was a Girton student, according to media reports and his LinkedIn account.

Christopher Steele graduated from Girton College in 1986, the MailOnline reported. In Easter term, 1986, he was the President of the Cambridge Union Society. He also wrote news for Varsity during his time as a student.

Formerly a British intelligence officer, he is now co-director of Orbis Business Intelligence, a corporate intelligence consultancy, with Christopher Burrows.

Yesterday, it was revealed that Christopher Steele allegedly authored the dossier which says that Russia, under Vladimir Putin, has been “cultivating, supporting and assisting Trump for at least five years”.

Going by the name Chris, Steele was a member of *Varsity*'s News team in 1986 Varsity/Matt Gutteridge

The Telegraph reported that Steele left his home on Wednesday morning, after it became clear that he was going to be named as the dossier’s author. He is understood to currently be in hiding.

The Mirror cited Stephen Parkinson’s book, Arena of Ambitions, which records a history of the Union and its members.

In it, Steele is reportedly described as a “‘confirmed socialist’ from Girton who was later President himself - and subsequently joined the Foreign Office”

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