This is unbelievable.
On Tuesday (May 31), Michael Sussmann, a lawyer who represented Hillary Clinton’s campaign, was acquitted by a jury of a single count of lying to the FBI.
Tuesday’s verdict signals a significant blow to special counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the FBI’s scrutiny of then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Durham has spent the better part of three years investigating the case. Now, Tuesday’s verdict threatens to derail his case and Trump’s claims that the assertion he had alleged ties to Russia was politically motivated.
Durham’s office alleged Sussman arranged a meeting with FBI’s General counsel James Baker in October 2016 to provide Baker with data that purported internet traffic between Trump and Russian Bank, Alfa Bank.
Prosecutors have alleged Sussman lied to the FBI General Counsel in 2016 when he said he wasn’t attending the meeting on behalf of any clients, despite working with the Clinton campaign and Rodney Joffe, a cybersecurity researcher who assembled the Alfa Bank data.
At the trial, Sussman’s lawyer argued the case was flimsy as there were no third-party witnesses to the one-on-one meeting.
They also contended that Sussman had not lied, but was attempting to assist the FBI, adding that even without the FBI knowing the origin of the data, it had little effect on the investigation.
The FBI eventually concluded it could not establish a link between Trump and Alfa Bank.
Commenting on the verdict Durham stated, “While we are disappointed in the outcome, we respect the jury’s decision and thank them for their service. I also want to recognize and thank the investigators and the prosecution team for their dedicated efforts in seeking truth and justice in this case.”
