Durham Report Points to Clinton Ally Charles Dolan as Likely Source of Controversial Trump Allegations

The much-anticipated 300-page report by Special Counsel John Durham has highlighted Charles Dolan, a close confidant of Bill and Hillary Clinton, as the probable source of contentious rumors involving Donald Trump that circulated during the 2016 presidential race.

The report, released on Monday, alleges that Dolan, a public relations executive with ties to Russia and a key adviser to both Clinton presidential campaigns, was likely behind the notorious "golden shower" allegations against Trump. This contentious claim was first made public just before the 2016 election and has since been widely discussed and dissected.

In 2016, as the election heated up between then-candidates Trump and Clinton, Dolan made a trip to Russia. During his visit, he met with crucial staff members at the Ritz Carlton in Moscow. Dolan was reportedly informed of a rumor involving Trump and Russian sex workers in the Ritz Carlton's presidential suite, a room previously occupied by President Barack Obama and then-First Lady Michelle Obama in 2009.

The Steele Dossier, infamous for its unverified allegations against Trump, would later feature this rumor. It accused Trump of commissioning prostitutes in 2013 to desecrate the same bed where the Obamas had slept during their visit to Russia.

However, Durham's exhaustive investigation unveiled that Trump never occupied the presidential suite in question during 2013, as suggested by the rumor. The report strongly suggests that the allegation was fabricated by Dolan in the heat of the 2016 election race.

The report states, "Our investigation revealed that it was Dolan […] who actually interacted with the hotel staff identified in the Steele Reports [and] Dolan appears the most likely source of the allegations."

This revelation is a key component of Durham's wider findings, which argue that the FBI had no valid justification to investigate supposed links between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia. The report ultimately concludes that there was no collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia during the contentious 2016 election.