Golden Shower Gate Latest Update: Former British Spy Reportedly Behind Trump Allegations Disappears, Fearing For His Safety

Days before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, he is embroiled in a fresh scandal after an unverified 35-page dossier, including details of his visits to Russia in the past, was published Tuesday. The man reportedly behind this revelation, however, has disappeared from the public eye, fearing for his safety.

According to reports, Christopher Steele, a former British spy, released the dossier that alleges Trump is being blackmailed by Russia over foreign policy deals and alleged sexual antics that include hiring prostitutes to urinate on each other — an act called a golden shower. Published by BuzzFeed News and CNN, the president-elect has strongly denied the allegations, referring to them as “fake news.”

Steele’s house in a village outside London was locked and his neighbors told Agence France-Presse (AFP) he and his family left Wednesday, asking a neighbor to feed the family’s three cats in his absence. Mike Hopper, a neighbor, told the news agency: “I’ve not seen any of the family since yesterday. It’s not the sort of thing you expect to hear, international news of importance like that in an area like this.”

A source told the Telegraph that Steele was “horrified” when his nationality was published Wednesday, followed by the release of his name by media in the United States. The source added that Steele was “terrified for his and his family’s safety” following the publication of the documents.

Steele previously worked for MI6 under diplomatic cover at the British embassy in Moscow in the 1990s, as well as in Paris, the Telegraph reported. Following this, he also worked with the FBI on corruption at FIFA, the international governing body for soccer. Since 2009, he has been a director at Orbis, a corporate intelligence consultancy in central London.

While the documents are unverified, many have come forward to vouch for Steele’s credibility.

“Steele is a serious player,” the BBC’s security correspondent Frank Gardner reportedly said. “He was a respected intelligence officer and like many of them they start second careers at the age of around 50. They start working for far more money with far more freedom.”