Update
Only logged in members can reply and interact with the post.
Join SimilarWorlds for FREE »

Michael Sussmann, Clinton campaign lawyer, found not guilty of lying to FBI

Clinton 2016 campaign lawyer acquitted of lying to the FBI

Michael Sussmann, a cybersecurity lawyer who represented the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign in 2016, walks towards the waiting members of the media outside the federal courthouse in Washington, Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Sussmann was acquitted Tuesday of lying to the FBI when he pushed information meant to cast suspicions on Donald Trump and Russia in the run-up to the 2016 election. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign was acquitted Tuesday of lying to the FBI when he pushed information meant to cast suspicions on Donald Trump and Russia in the run-up to the 2016 election.

The case against Michael Sussmann was the first courtroom test of special counsel John Durham since his appointment three years ago to search for government misconduct during the investigation into potential ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign. The verdict represents a setback for Durham’s work, especially since Trump supporters had looked to the probe to expose what they contend was egregious bias by law enforcement officials who investigated the former president and his campaign.

The jury deliberated on Friday afternoon and Tuesday morning before reaching its verdict.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse after the verdict was delivered, Sussmann said he “told the truth to the FBI, and the jury clearly recognized that with their unanimous verdict today.”

He added: “Despite being falsely accused, I am relieved that justice ultimately prevailed in this case.”

In a separate statement, Durham said that though he and his team were disappointed in the outcome, they respected the jury’s decision. He thanked the investigators and prosecutors on his team for their dedicated efforts in seeking truth and justice in this case.”

The trial focused on whether Sussmann, a cybersecurity attorney and former federal prosecutor, concealed from the FBI that he was representing Clinton’s campaign when he presented computer data that he said showed a possible secret backchannel between Russia-based Alfa Bank and Trump’s business company, the Trump Organization. The FBI investigated but quickly determined that there was no suspicious contact.

The bureau’s then-general counsel and the government’s star witness, James Baker, testified that he was “100% confident” that Sussmann had told him that he was not representing any client during the meeting. Prosecutors say he was actually acting on behalf of the Clinton campaign and another client, and that he hid that information so as to make it seem more credible and to boost the chances of getting the FBI to investigate.

Lawyers for Sussmann deny that he lied, saying that it was impossible to know with certainty what he told Baker since they were the only participants in the meeting and neither of them took notes.

They argued that if Sussmann said he wasn’t acting on the Clinton campaign’s behalf that that was technically accurate since he didn’t ask the FBI to take any particular action. And they said that even if he did make a false statement, it was ultimately irrelevant since the FBI was already investigating Russia and the Trump campaign and would have looked into the Alfa Bank data no matter the source.

During the two-week trial, jurors heard from current and former FBI officials who described efforts to assess the data’s legitimacy as well as former Clinton campaign aides.

The original Trump-Russia investigation, overseen for two years by former special counsel Robert Mueller, found multiple efforts by Russia to interfere on the Trump campaign’s behalf but did not establish that the two sides had worked together to sway the election.

After Mueller’s work was done, then-Attorney General William Barr named a new Justice Department prosecutor, then-Connecticut U.S. Attorney Durham, to examine whether anyone from the FBI or other agencies violated the law as the government opened its investigation into Russian election interference and the Trump campaign.

Durham has remained at work into the Biden administration. He has brought three cases so far, though the one against Sussmann is the only to have reached trial. A former FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, was given probation after pleading guilty in 2020 to altering an email related to the surveillance of an ex-Trump campaign aide, and a Russian analyst who contributed to a dossier of Democratic-funded research into ties between Russia and Trump awaits trial on charges of lying to the FBI about his sources of information.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-hillary-clinton-john-durham-presidential-elections-59158f83bd6a9159b420f2b04848b77f
This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »
Oh okay so this was a set up. Hillary got away yet again!
This victory for the right was stolen much like the 2020 election.

Ironhand · 51-55, M
@Spunkylama You truly believe this decrepit political hack that campaigned from his basement got more votes than Barack Obama?
TexChik · F
@Ironhand libs believe what daddy tells them to believe
@Ironhand There was no proof of electron fraud. But y'all can keep pretending it's actually funny to watch.
Budwick · 70-79, M
@Spunkylama
This victory for the right was stolen much like the 2020 election.

Yes, but not nearly in the same way.
@TexChik Daddy? You mean the imaginary sky daddy? Nah those types tend to lean right.
TexChik · F
@Spunkylama define proof
TexChik · F
@Spunkylama no your daddy Obama
Ironhand · 51-55, M
@Spunkylama Interesting you say that because there are individuals currently in custody for election fraud.
@TexChik Barr Says No Election Fraud Has Been Found By Federal Authorities

https://www.npr.org/2020/12/01/940819896/barr-says-no-election-fraud-has-been-found-by-federal-authorities
OAN Admits “No Widespread Voter Fraud By Election Workers” After Lawsuit Over Its Reporting

https://deadline.com/2022/05/oan-admits-no-widespread-voter-fraud-by-election-workers-after-lawsuit-over-reporting-1235020781/
TexChik · F
@Spunkylama Barr ? Just like with Hillary and the Russian collusion scam, the truth will come out .
Ironhand · 51-55, M
@Spunkylama You didn't need widespread voter fraud. You need coordinated fraud in Democrat controlled cities in a few states.
TexChik · F
@Spunkylama don’t get your lib panties all in a bunch . Time will tell , it always does
Budwick · 70-79, M
@Spunkylama On 12/01/2020 that may have been true.
It's May 31st, Sweetcheeks.
@Budwick Post it then bud
Budwick · 70-79, M
@Spunkylama Colorado elections clerk indicted in ‘deceptive scheme’ to breach voting systems
Politics Mar 9, 2022 4:56 PM EDT

DENVER (AP) — A grand jury in Colorado has indicted a county election clerk who sowed doubt about the 2020 presidential election, alleging she was part of a “deceptive scheme” to breach voting system technology that is used across the country, according to the indictment made public Wednesday.

Tina Peters, a Republican elected in 2018 to oversee elections in Mesa County, was charged with seven felony and three misdemeanor counts, including attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation and first-degree official misconduct. Also facing charges in the case is Deputy Clerk Belinda Knisley.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/colorado-elections-clerk-indicted-in-deceptive-scheme-to-breach-voting-systems
Budwick · 70-79, M
@Spunkylama https://www.heritage.org/voterfraud-print/search
@Budwick Oh a republican?! LOL great job. It is interesting that those who have been caught have been 98% republican. It's almost like they are projecting huh?
Budwick · 70-79, M
@Spunkylama
It is interesting that those who have been caught have been 98% republican.

Please post
@Ironhand But that was never found, either. And the GOP looked.
@Spunkylama
There was no proof of electron fraud.
The mountain evidence is taller than Everest. If the polls shut down with Biden showing a commanding lead, and then Trump miraculously wins a couple of days later...the collectivist trantrum from the libs would make your 2016 meltdown look like a walk in the park. Barr never investigated, so how could he possibly know? Who at OAN did an investigation? Yet the AZ and WI audits showed us plenty of evidence. True The Vote has shown proof as seen in 2000 Mules. Now, because of 2000 mules, there have been arrests and perps who've pled guilty. Now CNN and MSNBC are admitting that the inpenetrable Dominion machines were, in fact, vulnerable to being hacked. It's just a matter of time.
TexChik · F
@BizSuitStacy yep. It will all come out