Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
Tuesday, Michael Sussmann was found not guilty of lying to the FBI after he told the agency in 2016 that he was not acting on behalf of a client while alleging that computers within the Trump Organization were communicating with Russia’s Alfa Bank.
Special Counsel John Durham had alleged Sussman had, in fact, been working on behalf of then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and a technology executive when he made what turned out to be baseless claims against Donald Trump, who went on to defeat Clinton in the 2016 election.
Despite evidence that many conservatives believe proved Sussman had purposefully misled the FBI of his connection to the Clinton campaign, the jury was not convinced that he had knowingly lied to the FBI.
“I told the truth to the FBI, and the jury clearly recognized this in their unanimous verdict today,” Sussman said after the trial. “I’m grateful to the members of the jury for their careful thoughtful service. Despite being falsely accused I believe that justice ultimately prevailed in my case. As you can imagine this has been a difficult year for my family and me. But right now we are grateful for the love and support of so many during this ordeal.”
The verdict was a stiff blow for Durham, who was tasked by Trump-era Attorney General William Barr to investigate pre- and post-2016 election issues, especially allegations of Russian involvement in the process.
“While we are disappointed in the outcome, we respect the jury’s decision and thank them for their service,” Durham said. “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.”
Former President Trump was far less forgiving. Writing on Truth Social, Trump lashed out at numerous entities: “Our Legal System is CORRUPT, our Judges (and Justices!) are highly partisan, compromised or just plain scared, our Borders are OPEN, our Elections are Rigged, Inflation is RAMPANT, gas prices and food costs are ‘through the roof,’ our Military ‘Leadership’ is Woke, our Country is going to HELL, and Michael Sussmann is not guilty.”
A tweet from the account run by the Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee read simply, “The Swamp always protects its own.”
The Swamp always protects its own. https://t.co/bLvVJtkmtE
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) May 31, 2022
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), long an opponent of both the Durham investigation and Clinton, said she was unsurprised by the outcome.
“I’ve never understood why anyone had any real expectations from the Durham investigation,” Taylor Greene tweeted. “It’s been years and no one is ever held accountable and no one goes to jail in spite of clear evidence. Unless you’re a regular person, you never get off & your taxes pay for all this BS.”
To date, the Sussmann trial has been the highest profile case to have emerged from the Durham investigation.
As previously covered in more detail on FISM News, Sussman was initially indicted in September.