Margot Cleveland-
Measuring Special Counsel John Durham’s performance by the outcome in United States v. Sussmann would be a mistake.
The jury in the Michael Sussmann criminal case resumes deliberations today after the long Memorial Day weekend. While prosecutors presented overwhelming evidence over the last two weeks that Sussmann lied to then-FBI General Counsel James Baker in 2016, an acquittal by the D.C. jury still seems likely.
Update: Jurors did acquit Sussmann, on May 31.
Judging the success of Special Counsel John Durham’s probe into the investigation of President Trump and those associated with the Trump campaign and administration should not rest on the outcome of the Sussmann prosecution, however. In fact, even if the special counsel’s office scores a conviction in its false statement case against Sussmann, that would do little to right the scales of justice unbalanced by more than five years of the politically motivated abuse of power that began as Crossfire Hurricane and continued even after Special Counsel Robert Mueller issued his final report.
So, measuring Durham’s performance by the outcome in United States v. Sussmann would be a mistake. Also, especially in the case of an acquittal, it would ignore the valuable information exposed related to the broader Spygate scandal. Using that gauge as a measure, the special counsel’s office succeeded wildly.
Durham Proved the Collusion Hoax Was a Hillary Clinton Enterprise
On September 19, 2016, Sussmann provided Baker data and whitepapers purporting to show a secret communications network between the Russia-based Alfa Bank and Donald Trump. In indicting Sussmann for allegedly lying to Baker during this meeting, the special counsel’s office revealed in its 27-page speaking indictment “a scandal much deeper than merely Sussmann’s role in a second Russian hoax — a scandal that entangles the Clinton campaign, multiple internet companies, two federally-funded university researchers, and a complicit media.”
Since then, proof that the Clinton campaign held near-total responsibility for launching the Russia-collusion hoax mounted with nearly every legal filing. It eventually culminated during the Sussmann trial when former Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook testified that Hillary Clinton personally “agreed with the decision” to feed the unverified—and quickly debunked—theory that Trump was communicating secretly with Russia through a back-door Alfa Bank channel.
Other trial evidence confirmed the Clinton campaign paid the law firm Perkins and Coie a flat fee of as much as $130,000 per month during the campaign, and authorized lead counsel Marc Elias to hire Fusion GPS for opposition research. Billing records then showed Sussmann charged his time for working the Alfa Bank hoax—including the time he spent meeting with the FBI’s General Counsel Baker—to the Clinton campaign. In fact, late last week, the jury in the Sussmann case learned that Sussmann even charged the Clinton campaign for two thumb drives purchased at Staples used for the Alfa Bank project.
While the Sussmann case focused on the Alfa Bank hoax, the detailed evidence presented over the course of that prosecution also confirmed the Clinton campaign paid for Fusion GPS to compile the Christopher Steele dossier. Given Mook’s testimony that he sought Clinton’s approval to push the Alfa Bank claims to the media, it is only reasonable to infer she likewise personally green-lighted the peddling of the claims contained in the Steele dossier.
I think it’s a bit early to call this a win. If there is no follow through on the evidence that was disclosed, and the subsequent cases go nowhere, then this is clearly a loss as far as justice is concerned.
Conservatives(TM).
Winning by losing. Since Bolshevism. That’s who we are.
We don’t need moral victories.
We need hangings.
Lots and lots of hangings.
Here’s what it looks like when a Democrat hangs if anyone needs a refresher…
https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/pnp/cwpb/04100/04197v.jpg
So that’s a win in a two tiered justice system?
Maybe the evidence brought out will help Trump in his civil lawsuit, assuming his lawsuit isn’t in DC or in the court of an incompetent or corrupt judge.
Look at the bright side. Now you can to the EFF BEE EYE!
So, Hillary is free, the Trump presidency kneecapped, and the taxpayers are out a lot of money with NO JUSTICE. Only a RINO would call this “Win”.
I generally love stuff that Margot publishes, but in this one, I have to totally disagree.
What did WE learn that we didn’t already know?
Did the LSM increase the knowledge base of the libturds? Nope!
Did we get to know any other player who should be in the dock? Nope!
Did the narrative endure? Yup!
If we’re the choir, all Durham did was preach to us….totally unsatisfying IMHO.
There’s no win until Hilary Clinton is in jail wearing an orange jumpsuit and acting as if she’s actually the mean lesbian warden, making life as miserable as possible for her cellmates.
He “proved” it? So fucking what? We knew it already. Now we want justice.
Not holding my breath.
I’ve been reading in Psalms lately. We need to take after David – The thanked God for his blessings, asked God to punish his enemies and prayed for mercy and justice.
I’ve been praying for mercy, but need to also pray for his justice on our enemies.
Perhaps if Durham didn’t take so long to prosecute….
If I only had a brain, I woulda, coulda, shoulda! There are only winners & losers! You lost this one, piss poor case! But hey, no brain, no case no lose, your free to roam with the rest of the farm animals, thats always a win, right dumbass. Trump win in civil court? Anything you say, dumbass.
Gosh, I’m so tired of winning.
This is the only thing we’re gonna get so like it or lump it rubes. Now we’ll get the obligatory VDH column telling us about our 2 tiered justice system.
And for the cherry on top, a Captain(J Jordan) Obvious tweet letting us know that the Russian collusion tales were BS.
he got things on the record that will help land bigger fish. this was a pawn sacrifice. he’s after people higher up.