Jury Acquits Clinton Campaign Lawyer Accused of Lying to FBI

    Image copyright: The New York Times

    The Facts

    • After deliberating for six hours over two days, a jury in Washington DC on Tues. acquitted Michael Sussmann – the lawyer for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign – who stood accused of lying to the FBI in the run up to the 2016 election.

    • Sussmann, then a cybersecurity attorney at Perkins Coie, was accused of deliberately misleading the agency during a meeting on Sept. 19 with then-FBI general counsel James Baker.


    The Spin

    Democratic narrative

    After three years of investigation, Durham was only able to bring a thin charge against Sussmann. This acquittal calls into question how long Durham can continue in this politically motivated probe that's fishing to prove right-wing, Trump-related conspiracy theories.

    Republican narrative

    Just because a largely Democrat-leaning jury pool acquitted one of their own doesn't mean that this probe is at an end. The trial showcased evidence that Clinton was directly involved in an attempt to disseminate false information about Trump prior to the election and more cases are on the way.


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