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Early in January, US media reported on memos compiled by an unnamed former intelligence officer from the United Kingdom which alleged that Trump had been groomed and supported by Russian intelligence for at least five years. The unverified documents also alleged that Russian intelligence had compromising material on Trump related to his "unorthodox behavior" during his visit to Russia.
A number of claims, including the allegations of compromising material in Russian possession, were relayed to the memo's author by a third party possibly without Millian's knowledge, The Wall Street Journal said.
Millian, as US citizen with significant business ties to Russia, previously gained publicity by claiming that he was acquainted with Trump's inner circle and marketed the billionaire's properties to Russian buyers. The links are said to go back almost a decade, with Millian helping organize Trump's visit to the 2007 Millionaire's Fair in Moscow. The ties have been denied by the Trump Organization.
In a response to the newspaper's request, Millian slammed the memo as "fake news" but did not respond to any other questions regarding whether he was the source of the allegations.
The memo has been dismissed by both Trump and Russia, while US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper stressed that US intelligence had nothing to do with its contents and did not assess their validity. The UK government also distanced itself from the matter, stating that its author had not worked for the MI6 for years.
Comment: Since the most likely culprit behind the completely fabricated memo is US intelligence, this appears to be a case of anti-Trump factions in the US government using one of their Fake News outlets to throw a man with Russian connections under the bus to take the heat off of the real culprits, likely the CIA, and to potentially foul up his relationship with the Russian government.