Sussman Trial Weekend Update

It's only been three days since my last post on the trial of Michael Sussman, the Hillary campaign attorney accused of lying to the FBI about who he was representing when he told them that his cyber team had detected suspicious traffic between the Trumps and the Russians, in (successful) attempt to provoke an investigation of the Trump campaign by the FBI, which could be leaked to the press to discredit Trump. We have had several important witnesses since Wednesday, including an FBI cyber expert, former FBI General Counsel James Baker, Marc Elia, another Clinton campaign lawyer, and Robby Mook, manager of the Clinton campaign. 

At Da Wire, Sussmann Trial Opens, Lawyers Spar Over Defendant’s 2016 ‘Lie’ To FBI. At Da Fed, Margot Cleveland says Spygate Conspirators Start Selling Their Hoax To A Washington DC Jury, But The Facts Don’t Fit and Michael Sussmann Defense Contradicts Itself On Another Key Argument. Sundance at CTH, Day Two of Sussmann Trial Tells us More About Defense Than Prosecution

In the cross examination of the first set of prosecution witnesses the defense lawyers keep contending that Sussmann did not lie about the fraudulently created origin of the Alfa-Bank material and there was no reason for him not to tell the FBI he was a courier for the Clinton campaign. The defense is essentially that Sussmann and the FBI knew he was working for the Clinton campaign when he delivered the fraudulent material. Sussmann wasn’t trying to hide anything, ergo he didn’t lie.

Sussmann’s defensive point is essentially true. The DOJ, FBI and everyone associated with the information knew they were receiving opposition research from the Clinton campaign. However, the FBI had to pretend they didn’t know in order to use it to start an investigation.

 Vicky Taft at PJ Media, Durham Trial: You Can't Unsee All the Potential Conflicts of Interest in the 'Russia Collusion' Case in D.C. 

It feels like all of the people connected with the Russian Collusion hoax are old buddies, and a striking number of those are connected to the Michael Sussmann trial. Small world. Things are so incestuous in the swamp that you wonder why these elites consider themselves better than the hill people who live not too far away.

At Da Wire, Sussmann Judge Rejects Prosecutors’ Protests After Juror Reveals Tie To Defendant

A woman identified as juror #5 told Cooper on Thursday that she recently discovered that her daughter competes with cybersecurity attorney Michael Sussmann’s daughter on their high school crew team. The juror said she was unaware of the connection when she was filling out her jury questionnaire last week and that the two girls, separated by a three-year age gap, are not close, according to The Washington Times.

Jerry Dunleavy at WaEx,  FBI agent at Sussmann trial says he rejected Alfa-Bank claims within days. Hot garbage. Ace, Notes of a Meeting Between FBI and DOJ Reveal FBI Repeatedly Lying to Justify Trump Investigation, Hillary Clinton's Toady Robbie Mook Admits Hilary Clinton Approved the Alfa Bank Hoax, But Claims She Didn't Order Sussman to Take it to the FBI. "Sussman revealed them as part of his defense, having gotten them via subpoena from Durham."  Hans Mahncke and Steven McIntire at Da Fed, Handwritten Notes From 2017 Show FBI Agents Mislead DOJ On The Trump-Russia Investigation

In a surprising move, Sussmann’s defense team last week disclosed three sets of handwritten Department of Justice (DOJ) notes of a March 6, 2017 meeting between high-ranking DOJ and FBI officials. Durham gave the notes written by DOJ officials Tashina Gauhar, Mary McCord, and Scott Schools to Sussmann’s team as part of Durham’s discovery obligations.

While the notes contain a one-line hearsay suggestion that may cast doubt on Sussmann’s earlier claim that he was not representing anyone, their broader significance lies in what they reveal about the FBI’s strategy in the months leading up to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller in May 2017.

In fact, the notes are the very first documents to have been released to the public that show what the FBI was telling the DOJ about the predication and status of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation only two weeks before FBI Director James Comey’s shock announcement to the House Intelligence Committee on March 20, 2017, that the Trump campaign was being investigated by the FBI for ties to the Kremlin. It was Comey’s announcement that ultimately led to the appointment of Mueller.
. . .
The notes reveal a pattern of repeated lies and omissions by FBI leadership to DOJ officials that concealed the dramatic deterioration of the predicate for the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. As the predication deteriorated, so too was the purported justification for Comey’s public reveal of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation.

Jerry Dunleavy again, Marc Elias throws Durham trial into disarray with Sussmann comments. Matt Margolis at PJ Media, Clinton Lawyer Marc Elias Sings Like a Canary at Sussman-Durham Trial,

Elias confirmed in his testimony that he hired Fusion GPS to conduct opposition research for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016. He also testified that he would share “the fruits of their work” with senior Clinton campaign officials, and that Fusion GPS was also working for the DNC as part of its support for Hillary’s campaign."

NYPo, James Baker buries Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann in probe. John Sexton at Haut Hair, Trial update: Baker testifies he would have 'made a different assessment' if he'd known Sussman was working for the Hillary campaign. Margot Cleveland at Da Fed, Reluctant Witness Devastates Defense Claims In Special Counsel Criminal Case. Baker confirms Sussman lied and told him he was not working for a client when he came with the Alfa Bank allegations, and that knowing he would have approached the issue differently. Case closed, really.

Vicky Taft at PJ Media, Hillary Clinton Campaign Manager Robby Mook Will Testify in Russia Collusion Hoax Trial. CBS, Former Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook says Clinton agreed to give Trump-Russia material to reporter, CNN, Hillary Clinton personally approved plan to share Trump-Russia allegation with the press in 2016, campaign manager says. Politico, Clinton 2016 campaign manager denies approving passing anti-Trump info to FBI. PM, Hillary Clinton authorized dissemination of Russia collusion hoax to press. NYPo, Hillary Clinton OK’d sharing Trump-Russia ‘data,’ campaign manager says. WSJ, cited at Haut Hair, Hillary Clinton did it. Sundance at CTH, Devin Nunes Reacts to Court Testimony that Hillary Clinton Approved Pushing Trump-Russia Collusion Fraud to Media

Natalia Mittelstadt at JTN lists the Top 5 revelations from trial of ex-Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann, "Trial has been filled with surprises — from an FBI investigator's testimony that he quickly discounted the Alfa Bank allegation to a confession by top Clinton campaign lawyer Marc Elias that he didn't trust the FBI."

At Twitchy, Margot Cleveland spots media disinterest in Robby Mook’s testimony about what Hillary Clinton approved. Fox, Michael Sussmann trial: ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC ignore case at center of Trump-Russia probe. 

Rasmussen Reports Most Voters Think Hillary’s Campaign Broke the Law. Stephen Kruiser at PJ Media wonders Will Hillary Clinton Ever Take the Fall for Being Pure Evil?. Probably not, but she might get black out drunk and hit her head again. Althouse, I haven't used my "Hillary's in trouble" tag in a while.

Clinton personally approved the plan to spread the false Alfa bank story. It was one of the most successful disinformation campaigns in American politics, and Mook implicated Clinton as green-lighting the gas-lighting of the electorate. https://t.co/GThwkeUXAb

— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 21, 2022

Capt. Ed at Haut Hair wonders Did Hillary's campaign pitch Alfa Bank lie to the CIA, too?. Signs point to "yes."

Former Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann denied he was “representing a client” when he gave the CIA faulty data linking Donald Trump to Russia — and appeared “frustrated” that officials weren’t taking the information seriously, two former agency employees testified Friday.

One ex-spy — identified in court only as “Kevin P.” — recalled that he and a colleague met with Sussmann at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., in February 2017, shortly after Trump took office.

Sussmann gave the men two thumb drives that he said came from unidentified “contacts” and showed a secret, cyber back channel between a Trump Organization server and Russia’s Alfa Bank, Kevin P. said.

WaEx, Musk rips Clinton tweet at center of Durham trial as 'campaign hoax'. Sarah Arnold at Town Hall, Elon Musk Condemns Those Who Pushed Russia Hoax

Ultimately, I suspect, given the political makeup of DC and the jury, it will be difficult for Durham to obtain a conviction, but I'm glad to see the right people being put on the stand and asked tough questions. I just regret that FBI and CIA officials who clearly went off the reservation on this aren't in the dock, at least yet.