The first trial resulting from Special Counsel John Durham's methodical investigation into the origins of the discredited Trump-Russia collusion narrative opens Monday as 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann faces justice for allegedly lying to the FBI. Durham alleges Sussmann lied in September 2016 when he told then-FBI-General-Counsel James Baker that he was not working on behalf of any client while feeding the federal law enforcement agency since-debunked allegations about then-candidate Donald Trump.
Sussmann, a former federal prosecutor, told the FBI that the Trump Organization had a secret communications channel with the Kremlin through Russia's Alfa Bank.
Durham says Sussmann was working at the time on behalf of two clients, the Clinton campaign and Zetalytics tech firm executive Rodney Joffe.
Durham intends to show that Sussmann told Congress the truth about working for the Clinton campaign after he lied to the FBI. Sussmann is pleading not guilty to the charge.
"The joint venture continued and crystallized early in August 2016," when Sussmann, Joffe, Sussman's then-law partner Marc Elias, and members of the Clinton campaign met, according to the special counsel.
The special counsel has issued subpoenas to Georgia Tech - then working under contract with the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - for "All documents, records, and information" related to "a purported secret communications channel between the Trump Organization, Spectrum Health, and the Russian Bank Alfa Bank" and "The purported presence or use of Russian-made Yotaphones by or in the vicinity of Donald Trump or individuals affiliated with Donald Trump." "Durham has just shown the whole world what major pieces of our Russiagate investigation revealed," Kash Patel, the former House Intelligence Committee investigative counsel who helped unravel the Russia case, said last month.
"Hard evidence, emails and text messages, showing the Clinton Campaign, Fusion GPS, Perkins Coie, Joffe, and the media were all synced in August of 2016 pushing the false Alfa Bank server story, while also all working on the Steele Dossier matter. Durham submits all this evidence as 'joint venture conspiracy' under the rules of evidence." Cooper has limited some of the evidence Durham may present at trial.
Sunday, May 15, 2022
Trial opens for Clinton campaign lawyer accused of lying to FBI while planting Trump-Russia tale
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