The Sussman trial begins on Monday. Some of the Russia hoax instigators and coup conspirators will be appearing.
Would be great if Trump showed up to watch the proceedings.
Have a great weekend.
WSJ
By
Kimberley A. Strassel
May 12, 2022 6:28 pm ET
Special Counsel John Durham steps into court Monday with the first trial of his probe into Democrats’ Russia-collusion hoax. That’s a formality. Mr. Durham has already won.
Perkins Coie lawyer Michael Sussmann stands accused of lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation by claiming the dirt on Donald Trump he fed to the FBI wasn’t delivered on behalf of “any client.” Mr. Sussmann was in the pay of the Hillary Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee and worked extensively with outside players and the media to produce the collusion narrative as well as documents that stoked FBI probes of Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign, according to Durham filings. Mr. Sussmann has pleaded not guilty.
Commentators spent last week warring over whether Judge Christopher Cooper’s rulings on the use of evidence would help or hinder Mr. Durham’s case. It doesn’t much matter. Mr. Durham has already accomplished his far bigger goal with this narrow indictment. He’s put every sleazy collusion player in the hot seat, with ramifications beyond the courtroom.
From the day the special counsel released the 27-page Sussmann indictment in September (and the follow-on charges against dossier contributor Igor Danchenko), it’s been clear he had ambitions that went far beyond a conviction for lying. Each of his filings follows the same, deliberate strategy—lengthy briefs and long exhibits full of names, emails and documents, all of which connect the dots and expose the web that enabled this hoax, and the lies that kept it hidden.
Democratic superlawyer Marc Elias isn’t charged, but he also no longer heads the elite political-law practice at Perkins Coie. The firm last August announced Mr. Elias, who’d been there 28 years, was leaving to start his own small practice. A few weeks later, the Sussmann indictment laid bare the role Mr. Elias, a longtime DNC and Clinton lawyer, played in ginning up and distributing the bogus Trump-Russia claims.
Christopher Steele, author of the infamous dossier, once lauded by the press as an international superspy, is now a man in search of a reputation. His dossier’s “intelligence,” Mr. Durham’s documents show, came primarily from a Brookings Institution employee, Mr. Danchenko, who was recycling salacious chatter from a Clinton associate. Whatever work Mr. Steele may find in future, it won’t include assisting the FBI or any other respectable agency.
Fusion GPS, which hired Mr. Steele, has become toxic in Washington. The Durham prosecutions show how the opposition-research firm operates—not by producing real research, but by shopping seamy claims to law enforcement, then browbeating journalists into covering the “investigations” Fusion inspires. (Fusion in court filings says its job was to help Perkins Coie with legal advice—a claim the judge largely rejected Thursday.) The Washington press corps knows it got played—and how. A recent Durham filing released dozens of emails showing reporters at top outlets palling it up with their Fusion narrators, with one Slate writer even sending a draft October 2016 article for Fusion to review. Is the DNC going to hire Fusion anytime soon? Even credulous reporters will think twice before running with another Fusion lead.
Mrs. Clinton won’t be in the courtroom, but the campaign’s claims it was in the dark about the Perkins Coie and Fusion work are in ashes. Mr. Durham’s evidence shows top Clinton aides—including campaign manager Robby Mook—were apprised of allegations and helped circulate them. Also among the circulators was current national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who faces calls to resign given his role.
Then there’s James Comey’s FBI. One downside of the Durham “lying” strategy is that it requires prosecutors to present the FBI as dupes of the Clinton operation. Yet amusingly, this has lured the defense into providing evidence of FBI rot. Mr. Sussmann’s lawyers will argue at trial that their client can’t be found guilty of lying to the FBI, since “they have reviewed more than 300 emails that show the bureau understood Sussmann worked for Democratic campaign entities,” as the Washington Post reports.
The FBI knew all along and ran with unvetted political dirt, even if Mr. Sussmann’s alleged lie allowed it to pretend it was aboveboard. And as the Durham evidence shows, it went on pretending, failing to follow up on Mr. Steele, the dossier or its Clinton origins until long after the election (at which point special counsel Robert Mueller failed to follow up on the FBI for nearly two years more). Most of the FBI’s former leaders have been fired or left, its reputation is in tatters, and the GOP will dig further if it regains Congress this fall.
Many conservatives remain frustrated that Mr. Durham hasn’t pursued far more sweeping conspiracy charges. But conspiracy cases are hard to prove. A sweeping prosecution of high-name figures would cause a political feeding frenzy, and be proclaimed by the media a partisan exercise. A court loss would make it easier for the press to cast the entire effort as debunked.
The narrow prosecution of the little-known Mr. Sussmann has allowed for a focus on the bigger story. Stay tuned for a flood of more information coming out of a trial that on its face is about one lawyer, but in reality is the continuing tale of one of the dirtiest tricks in modern U.S. history.
Neck of the bottle is at the top
If you're Robby Mook, you avoid Fort Marcy Park at all costs.
If he shows up dead, you know the whole body count is correct. It’s got to be above 50 now
If he shows up dead, you know the whole body count is correct. It’s got to be above 50 now
The real sedition
posted by QuakerOats
The real sedition
Well Sussman was acquitted.....so that means what next?
posted by ptown_trojans_1Well Sussman was acquitted.....so that means what next?
Nothing. These people go unchecked in society.
posted by FletchNothing. These people go unchecked in society.
What's that say about the jury?
posted by ptown_trojans_1Well Sussman was acquitted.....so that means what next?
That for seemingly the 5 millionth time, Quaker gets all hot about how IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN and then nothing happens. Dude's essentially political premature ejaculation.
It sounds like a case of jury nullification. I didn't follow it closely, but I think the defense was basically "it's the FBI, this isn't a lie that's material or impactful to them". Another way of saying would it really have mattered if he told them it came from oppo research? And if you believe it did, then that's a sad commentary on the FBI.
And while it is and should be a crime, that perspective has merit. I'd point out it's not that different than with some of Trump's financial disclosures, which is "fraud" is difficult to prove against sophisticated players that can or should do their own due diligence.
I remember hearing something about that text message being withheld. Shenanigans.
"Mr. Sussmann had told FBI general counsel James Baker that he represented no client. In truth he represented the Clinton campaign, as billing records showed. But Mr. Durham had charged Mr. Sussmann with lying to Mr. Baker in person, not in the text message, which the special counsel only obtained after he had filed the original indictment."
"The jury may also have been persuaded by the defense claim that the FBI already had ample reason to know that Mr. Sussmann was working for the Clinton campaign."
The judge ruled that the text message could not be the 'false statement'; so the jury was ordered to focus only on the verbal statement made the next day in the meeting. So the full-proof written evidence clearly demonstrating the lie was thrown out, which is beyond belief, except that the judge is a hillary supporter as was the majority of the jury (self-admittedly). Sussman was guilty of the charge, without question. At least we have the confirming testimony of hillary's own campaign manager saying she in fact green-lighted the entire Russia hoax. She's as rotten as they come.
posted by QuakerOatsThe judge ruled that the text message could not be the 'false statement'; so the jury was ordered to focus only on the verbal statement made the next day in the meeting. So the full-proof written evidence clearly demonstrating the lie was thrown out, which is beyond belief, except that the judge is a hillary supporter as was the majority of the jury (self-admittedly). Sussman was guilty of the charge, without question. At least we have the confirming testimony of hillary's own campaign manager saying she in fact green-lighted the entire Russia hoax. She's as rotten as they come.
Oh the judge is in on it. Got it.
posted by ptown_trojans_1Oh the judge is in on it. Got it.
Don't worry man, I'm sure that any year now, one of Quaker's "WE DONE GOTS 'EM!!! SMOKING GUN!!!! HEADS WILL ROLL!!!!!" predictions will actually lead to something other than him bitterly sobbing in a corner about conspiracies and the fix being in and everybody being crooked except for the ones he likes. I mean, what could be the odds that he's just a crazy-ass right-wing extremist who refuses to believe, accept, etc. anything that doesn't support his personal worldview? That's unpossible!!!
posted by HereticDon't worry man, I'm sure that any year now, one of Quaker's "WE DONE GOTS 'EM!!! SMOKING GUN!!!! HEADS WILL ROLL!!!!!" predictions will actually lead to something other than him bitterly sobbing in a corner about conspiracies and the fix being in and everybody being crooked except for the ones he likes. I mean, what could be the odds that he's just a crazy-ass right-wing extremist who refuses to believe, accept, etc. anything that doesn't support his personal worldview? That's unpossible!!!
My brother and dad have basically the same political stance as QO. You can't convince them of anything outside of Fox/Breitbart talking points. They also greatly over estimate the immediacy of any president's actions on day to day results. (i.e. a 10 year planned factory opens in 2017 and Trump is somewhow the cause).
With gas prices, I would say that Biden has certainly not helped matters by creating an environment where fears of environmental regulations hurt development. But a lot of price pressure is driven by the fact that production was cut by 1/3 during Covid, many small drillers were driven from the market, and oil firms have little incentive to increase production currently. Banning new permits on federal lands does not change that the industry is sitting on about a decade of undrilled, yet permitted wells.
Again, Biden is doing nothing to help and is actually making matters worse. But supply and demand forces (including a world benchmark being pushed by Russian supplies being taken out of the market are more powerful than anything a president can do. Besides, oil prices were already rising rapidly during Trumps final months in office. Goes to show...
posted by ptown_trojans_1Oh the judge is in on it. Got it.
I'm just pointing out the bias of the judge and jury (self-admitted); I know that may be inconvenient for you and a few others.
https://spectatorworld.com/topic/stench-from-the-sussmann-verdict/
Par for the course.
posted by QuakerOats
I'm just pointing out the bias of the judge and jury (self-admitted); I know that may be inconvenient for you and a few others.
https://spectatorworld.com/topic/stench-from-the-sussmann-verdict/
Par for the course.
You are in it man. Kudos to you.
Well, it makes Watergate look like a playground game; so yeah, some people care.
posted by QuakerOatsWell, it makes Watergate look like a playground game; so yeah, some people care.
Don't worry, little guy; I'm sure it won't be long before you find your next "greatest scandal ever" where "heads will roll"! I mean, since you do find one or two of them every few weeks or so.
posted by HereticDon't worry, little guy; I'm sure it won't be long before you find your next "greatest scandal ever" where "heads will roll"! I mean, since you do find one or two of them every few weeks or so.
The single greatest affront to The People in the history of the Republic! Let the bombs reign down!!!