Judge Acquits Steele Dossier Source on One Count, Jurors to Decide on Rest

Igor Danchenko outside the U.S. courthouse in Alexandria, Va., on Oct. 11, 2022. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

ALEXANDRIA, Va.—A U.S. judge tossed one of the five counts against a key source for the anti-Donald Trump Steele dossier on Oct. 14, ruling that prosecutors did not present enough evidence for jurors to consider the charge.

U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga, a George W. Bush appointee, ruled that Igor Danchenko, the source, did not make a false statement when he told FBI agents on June 15, 2017, that he did not talk with Charles Dolan about material that was included in the dossier.