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.