Former British spy Christopher Steele, the man behind the Donald Trump “dirty dossier,” has gone into hiding.
The former MI6 agent is demanding privacy for himself and his family.
Steele, 52, fled his $2 million mansion “fearing for his life” after his name was revealed as the source for the dossier by news outlets in the United States.
He is reportedly attempting to use privacy laws in the United Kingdom to hide away from reporters eager to question him about the allegations raised in the 35-page document filled with unsubstantiated claims about the president-elect.
Christopher Steele went to the Independent Press Standards Organization (ISPO) in the United Kingdom to demand journalists stop attempting to contact him, his relatives, or work associates.
He cited privacy and harassment regulations in the country when making the request, the Daily Mail reports.
Steele reportedly fled his estate so quickly neighbors were hurriedly asked to look after his three cats and he left the lights on inside the Surrey mansion.
The former British spy is allegedly hiding out in an MI6 safe house amid fears of backlash over the Trump dossier by Russia.
A representative for Christopher Steele and his family, along with his business partner, used the IPSO to make the formal request for privacy on Thursday.
The request by the former MI6 spy behind the Trump dirty dossier cited privacy and harassment regulations when calling upon the organization for help.
Independent Press Standards Organization serves as a watchdog for print media in the United Kingdom.
The organization is tasked with both holding British magazines and newspapers accountable for what they print and to handle complaints related to published material. Newspapers and magazines which run afoul of the “Editor’s Code of Conduct” can be fined and censured.
Steele wants the IPSO to help prevent reporters from trying to request comments and from photographing him and his family.
The former British spy also asked that the homes where he and his relatives live not be identified by the media.
The British Ministry of Defense initially took steps to block media outlets in the United Kingdom from even revealing Christopher Steele was the former spy behind the Donald Trump dossier.
The governmental agency issued what is known as a “D-notice.” The Defense and Security Media Advisory notice is a formal request from the government to for the press to not publish specific details about a story due to national security concerns.
Christopher Steele worked as a British spy in Moscow during the 1990s. His wife, Laura Steele, accompanied him to Russia during his stint there with the MI6 spy agency.
She reportedly died in 2009 from cirrhosis of the liver. Steele’s business partner, Christopher Burrows, is also reportedly a former MI6 agent, but he has not been linked to the Trump dossier.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is scheduled to visit the White House in just a few weeks.
She is reportedly under pressure to reassure the Donald Trump the United Kingdom had absolutely nothing to do with the emerging and embarrassing Christopher Steele scandal.
A Telegraph report indicates Steele and government officials in London allegedly spoke about the dirty dossier before the now infamous document was handed over to the FBI.
“He’s James Bond,” Nigel West, an intelligence historian and spy-novel author, said. “I actually introduced him to my wife as James Bond. He’s highly professional, very effective.
He’s an impressive individual, knows a lot of the people about whom he speaks — but he’s got to earn a living like the rest of us.”
Christopher Steele was reportedly deemed a “confirmed socialist” while a student at Cambridge University.
He was recruited by the British version of the CIA right out of college, NBC News reports.
West went on to say the man behind the Donald Trump dirty dossier has some very strong feelings about Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin. Steele allegedly staunchly believes Russia “tore up the rule book and the convention by which intelligence agencies do not attack each other’s personnel.”
“He also feels passionately about what you’d call the Kremlin kleptocracy.
He doesn’t believe there isn’t a business deal in the past 10 years that has been legit,” the intelligence historian also added.
Steele left the MI6 agency about eight years ago and co-founded Orbis Business Intelligence Service in London.
He worked with the FBI in the past when aiding in an investigation to uncover corruption at FIFA – the professional soccer league.
