FBI Analyst Behind Steele Dossier Vetting, Hunter Biden "Disinformation" Claims Faces Major Fallout
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is making headlines again — and this time, it's not for the best reasons.
According to The New York Times, supervisory intelligence analyst Brian Auten has been placed on administrative leave. The move reportedly comes at the direction of FBI Director Christopher Wray, following years of controversy surrounding Auten’s role in two highly politicized investigations.
Auten, as detailed by RealClear Investigations, was accused by whistleblowers of attempting to "falsely discredit derogatory evidence against Hunter Biden during the 2020 campaign by labeling it Russian ‘disinformation,’ an assessment that caused investigative activity to cease." His actions led to serious concerns about political bias influencing critical investigations.
In his book Government Gangsters, former Trump administration official Kash Patel alleges that Auten worked to "discredit any derogatory information about Hunter Biden by falsely claiming that none of it was true." Patel, a longtime critic of the so-called deep state, named Auten in an appendix titled "Members of the Executive Branch Deep State."
Auten also drew attention from Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, who in 2023 raised alarm over Auten’s role in efforts to "improperly discredit negative Hunter Biden information as disinformation and [cause] investigative activity to cease."
Beyond the Biden controversy, Auten’s history stretches back to the infamous Steele Dossier — a Clinton campaign-funded document that claimed Donald Trump’s campaign had deep ties to Russia. Auten vetted the dossier’s questionable claims and used it as the basis for obtaining FISA warrants against Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
His work on the Steele Dossier helped fuel the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane probe — the now-discredited investigation into allegations of Trump-Russia collusion during the 2016 election.
Summarizing Auten’s career paints a troubling picture: he vetted the fraudulent Steele Dossier to justify surveillance of the Trump campaign, contributed to the baseless Russia collusion narrative, and worked to dismiss valid concerns about Hunter Biden’s laptop by labeling them as "Russian disinformation."
While a suspension is a start, critics argue it’s not nearly enough. Many believe Auten’s actions have severely damaged public trust in the FBI.
Kash Patel, during a January hearing, emphasized his commitment to restoring that trust, stating his efforts aimed to clean out the "worst actors" from government agencies. In Government Gangsters, Patel underlines that officials like Auten must not only be removed but held accountable.
The American public, critics say, were "repeatedly lied to" — about Trump, about alleged collusion, and about the veracity of concerns surrounding Hunter Biden’s activities.
Many are calling not just for Auten’s firing, but for full accountability: a trial to answer for the deep erosion of trust in federal institutions.