Trump and Ivanka's Bond 'Severely Damaged' After Discovering Her Secret Friendship With Ex-Spy Christopher Steele

Ivanka Trump's secret friendship with former MI6 agent Christopher Steele "severely damaged" her relationship with her father Donald Trump, according to the ex-spy.

The shocking revelation emerged on Wednesday, RadarOnline.com has learned after Trump sued the company founded by Steele, who created a dossier in 2016 that contained rumors about Trump that erupted just before he was inaugurated.

Trump is seeking damages from Orbis Business Intelligence for allegedly violating British data protection laws, while Steele's firm wants to have the case tossed.

Steele said he formed a bond with Ivanka that spanned for quite some time while making a witness statement as part of legal proceedings in London.

"I informed them that I had in fact had a friendship and professional relationship with Ivanka Trump … for several years," he claimed to have told the DOJ, according to The Times of London, which reported on his witness statement this week. "My understanding is that Ms Trump had not disclosed our relationship to her father."

Steele also blamed Trump's alleged "vindictive and vexatious conduct" on the former president being ticked over that friendship, the Times reported, which Trump wholeheartedly denied as a "reckless" claim in his own witness statement.

"Any inference or allegation that Mr Steele makes about my relationship with my daughter is untrue and disgraceful," the embattled GOP frontrunner stated.

According to reports, Ivanka has been focused on her husband and children amid her father's growing legal troubles after distancing herself from politics.

"It has been a rough period for all of the Trump kids, but Ivanka has always been especially close to her father," an insider told PEOPLE. "She loves him, her kids love him, and they are still a close family."

"But Ivanka does not want to be involved with the legal issues," added the source. "She is removed from it and has adapted well to Miami. Her whole family loves it."

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Sources told RadarOnline.com in June that Tiffany, his only child with ex-wife Marla Maples, is "angling herself to be a major player if he regains the office."

Ivanka previously addressed her father's 2024 bid in a rare statement in which she said she would not be involved in the campaign.

"I love my father very much," she said in a statement. "This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family."