Trump urges UK to investigate ex-spy Christopher Steele over controversial Russia dossier
Britain should "investigate" former spy Christopher Steele, the man reportedly behind a controversial Donald Trump-Russia dossier.
Last week, the President-elect strongly denied claims Moscow had obtained compromising personal and financial information which could be used to blackmail him.
Now Trump has urged the UK to "look at" ex-intelligence agent Steele to establish if it was him who compiled the explosive 35-page document.
In an interview with The Times, the Republican said that UK "has got a lot of problems" if it transpired Steele was the author.
Repeating claims he first made last week, Trump suggested the US intelligence agencies could be responsible for leaking the dossier.
At the time, Trump compared the supposed CIA-leak to "Nazi" activity.
But Britain should also "look at" Steele, who Trump claimed "made up" the allegations.
Steele, who runs his own intelligence business, is now believed to be in hiding following the circulation of his name in media reports.
"That guy is somebody that you should look at because whatever he made up about me it was false," Trump said.
"He was supposedly hired by the Republicans and Democrats working together - even that I don't believe because they don't work together, they work separately and they don't hire the same guy."
He added: "If this guy is a British guy, you got a lot of problems."
Asked about the dossier's most lurid claims, graphic sexual acts, Trump protested his innocence.
"If I did that in a hotel, it'd be the biggest thing," he said.
"They'd have me on the front page of The New York Post, right? And the other thing - I can't even, I don't even want to shake hands with people. Now I hear about this stuff - ugh!
"It's fake news, it was totally made up ... I wasn't even there. I was there for the Miss Universe contest, got up, got my stuff and I left."