Can Trump Be Impeached? Everything You Need To Know About Controversial Trump Russian Blackmail Scandal

President Donald Trump has been under the scanner over his alleged links with Russia, which further escalated after a 35-page document released by CNN in January claimed the 70-year-old was involved in obscene sexual acts. Britain's former MI6 officer Christopher Steele, who is believed to have authored the dossier, has now been called in by the Senate to testify over the scandal, the Independent reported Thursday.

After CNN’s report, other news publications followed suit. The dossier contained reports of material that Russian operatives had allegedly collected on Trump. It also included the infamous “Golden Shower Gate” episode, where Trump allegedly paid prostitutes to urinate on a bed that had been used by former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama. The document was reportedly presented to both Trump and Obama.

Trump had attacked Steele declaring the report on the Kremlin connection as a fabricated work put together by a “failed spy.” He got into a fight with several media publications such as BuzzFeed News that dumped the entire dossier after admitting its findings had not been verified, and also busted CNN accusing the cable network of being "fake news."

The allegations have been dismissed by both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Sputnik International.

Steele, the co-founder of London-based Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd, has been hiding since the details of the dossier have emerged. He has not reportedly responded to requests to meet with Senate officials, however, his friends said that Steele could talk about his investigation to senators if he is kept under certain security arrangements, according to the Independent.

At one point, Steele also reached an agreement with the FBI a few weeks before the presidential election for the bureau to pay him to continue his investigation work, according to several people familiar with the arrangement, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

The dossier prepared by Steele talked about how Trump, in association with the Kremlin, planned the cyberattacks on Democrats and also how Russians held compromising material about the Republican nominee. These claims remain unverified, and have been continuously denied by Trump and his aides, according to the Post.