Russians discussed potentially derogatory information about trump and associates during campaign

You're referring to the infamous "Steele dossier"!

Yes, it's true that during the 2016 US presidential campaign, Russian officials and operatives did discuss potentially derogatory information about then-candidate Donald Trump and his associates. This information was compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who was hired by Fusion GPS, a private research firm, to investigate Trump's ties to Russia.

The Steele dossier, as it came to be known, contained allegations of Trump's alleged connections to Russia, including claims of collusion, corruption, and even compromising information. The dossier was based on anonymous sources and was not verified by independent fact-checkers.

The Russian government and its officials have consistently denied any involvement in the 2016 US presidential election or any attempts to influence the outcome. However, US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia did indeed interfere in the election, primarily through cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns.

The Steele dossier was leaked to the media in January 2017, just days before Trump's inauguration. The allegations in the dossier were widely reported and sparked a firestorm of controversy, with many Democrats calling for an investigation into Trump's ties to Russia.

In 2019, the US Department of Justice released a report on its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, which concluded that there was no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. However, the report did find that Russian operatives had engaged in a "sweeping and systematic" effort to influence the election.

It's worth noting that while the Steele dossier was widely reported and sparked a significant controversy, many of its allegations have not been verified or corroborated by independent sources.