Mr Horowitz said the FBI "overstated the significance" of Mr Steele's past work when asserting it had been "corroborated and used in criminal proceedings". The watchdog also said the FBI left out relevant information about one of Mr Steele's sources, whom Mr Steele himself had called a "boaster" prone to "embellishment". The report noted that the CIA viewed the Steele dossier as little more than "an internet rumour". But the watchdog said ex-FBI Director James Comey and his former deputy, Andrew McCabe, argued the Steele dossier should not be dismissed.