Former Hillary Clinton campaign attorney Michael Sussmann will plead not guilty after being indicted for allegedly lying to the FBI regarding the Trump-Russia hoax. Sussmann was indicted by special counsel John Durham for allegedly telling the FBI that he was not doing work “for any client” when he requested and held a meeting in 2016 where he provided evidence of purported secret communications between Trump and Russia.
Fox News reports:
Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui released Sussmann on his own recognizance and set a court date of September 22 for a status conference before D.C. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper.
Sussmann faces up to five years in prison if convicted of the charge. His guilty plea comes despite his attorneys saying in a statement that he was working “on behalf of a cyber expert client” when he met with FBI General Counsel James Baker. Nevertheless, attorneys Sean Berkowitz and Michael Bosworth of the law firm Latham & Watkins claimed that the prosecution was “baseless and politically-inspired.”
The indictment alleges that Sussmann was working on behalf of a tech industry executive, an American internet company, and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Prosecutors claim that Sussmann’s “lie” was a material because it “misled the FBI General Counsel and other FBI personnel concerning the political nature of his work,” and because having information such as the identities of Sussmann’s clients could have helped them assess the information provided.
The indictment notes that Sussmann previously contradicted his claim that he was not working on behalf of any clients when he appeared before the House Intelligence Committee in December 2017. According to a partial transcript of that interview, Sussmann was asked if it was correct that he had contacted the FBI General Counsel of his own volition. Sussmann replied, “No,” then confirmed that he had been working on behalf of a client.
Will Sussmann be held accountable for his actions or will he walk free? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
