'Tech Exec-1' revealed amid Durham subpoena of Clinton law firm

Special counsel John Durham has handed down another round of subpoenas - including one targeting a law firm tied to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign - in his investigation into the origins of the FBI probe into claims former President Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russian officials, according to a new report.

CNN reported Thursday that some of the subpoenas, which were issued earlier this month, demand documents from powerful Democratic law firm Perkins Coie - which had close ties to Clinton's presidential bid.

On Sept. 16, a federal grand jury indicted Perkins Coie cybersecurity attorney Michael Sussmann on a single charge of making a false statement to the FBI. According to the indictment, Sussmann told FBI General Counsel James A. Baker that "He was not acting on behalf of any client" when he informed Baker in September 2016 of purported ties between the Trump Organization and a Russian bank.

Joffe, who is not named in the indictment but referred to as "Tech Executive-1," according to the CNN report, allegedly passed Sussmann data in the summer of 2016 that suggested servers at the Trump Organization were communicating with servers at Alfa-Bank, a Moscow-based financial institution.

The indictment alleges that Sussmann, Joffe and Marc Elias - then a partner at Perkins Coie and the Clinton campaign's general counsel - "Coordinated and communicated" about the Alfa-Bank claims "During telephone calls and meetings," which were billed to the Clinton campaign.

Sussmann also allegedly pitched the allegations to media outlets, including the New York Times, in face-to-face reporter meetings and phone calls which were also billed to the Clinton campaign.

The indictment states, Joffe acknowledged in August of 2016 that the purported server link was a "Red herring," though he continued to assist Sussmann and others in drawing up a "White paper" summing up the allegations - which the attorney gave to the FBI weeks later.

https://nypost.com/2021/09/30/tech-exec-1-revealed-amid-durham-subpoena-of-clinton-law-firm/