A top House Republican warned that the cybersecurity lawyer indicted by John Durham's grand jury investigation into cybercrime could be the "fall guy" for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.
Rep. Devin Nunes (ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee) told Newsmax that there was evidence of broad Russia collusion conspiracy claims which his team investigated and referred back to the Justice Department. He warned that the Clintons have a history of having their agents and lawyers disappear.
Michael Sussmann is a former Perkins Coie attorney. He was accused of lying to the FBI top lawyer that he didn't have clients while he was representing the Clinton campaign and a technology executive during a September 2016 meeting about possible Russian links between Trump and Trump. Sussmann pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI Friday. His lawyers insisted that he never claimed he didn’t have clients, and that he was only representing the technology executive at the meeting five year ago.
DURHAM IS NOT EXPECTED to BRING CHARGES TIED ON INTEL ASSESSMENT OF RUSSIAN ELECTION INTEFERENCE: REPORT
Russia has been linked to Perkins Coie's law firm. Robby Mook was Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign manager. He stated that Marc Elias, another Perkins Coie attorney, authorized Marc Elias to hire an outside firm to investigate Trump's 2016 connections to Russia. This was the catalyst for Christopher Steele, a British ex-spy and discredited anti-Trump dossier.
Nunes claimed that evidence in the "slam-dunk" indictment (27 pages long) has strong evidence showing Sussmann played a key role in helping Clinton's team create the narrative that there was a secret backchannel linking Russia's Alfa Bank to the Trump Organization. Although the FBI did not find any evidence to support the claims, the FBI investigation was triggered by media reports and Clinton's campaign promoted the allegations that led to the 2016 contest.
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The congressman stated that, in addition to the "circumstantial proof" the California Republican claimed he had, "We now possess emails and communications and clearly Durham has done interviews in these."
Nunes said that he hoped this was only the first indictment of many others, and added that he still believes there are government officials who should be charged. He stressed that the indictment against Clinton campaign members and others involved does not bode well for some of those who have made it into the Biden administration such as Jake Sullivan, White House national security advisor.
Nunes stated that Durham is "circling around the wagons" but would be surprised if Sussmann didn't reach a plea deal.
Nunes stated, "There was a conspiracy there." "You've seen me speak about this for many, countless years. The Clinton campaign colluded with bad agents and actors in the FBI and other locations. This guy is lying to the FBI. This is what we know. It is a serious charge and can be quite broad. This is what I'd like to see. Was he the only one who did it? Does he plan to be the Clinton campaign's fall guy? This is not something we've ever seen in history. "We've seen history show that people can be the fall guys for the Clintons."
Durham was an American attorney who was appointed by the former Attorney General William Barr in order to investigate the origins of and conduct the Trump-Russia investigation. He received special counsel status last January to continue his work with the Biden administration.
Hillary Clinton meets supporters at a 2016 presidential primary Election Night rally. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Democrats and legal observers have long criticized Durham's effort, claiming that it is intended to undermine Robert Mueller's investigation into the alleged Russian-Trump 2016 Campaign ties. Trump and his allies still support it as a way to eliminate corrupt officials to settle political scores.
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Mueller's team could not find any criminal conspiracy between Trump campaign and Russia. His report did however list 10 instances of possible obstruction to justice, which Democrats used as a roadmap for impeachment. Trump's associates were also convicted and plead guilty to charges that had nothing to do with collusion with Russia.
Durham and his team have not been charged with conspiracy in the nearly two years that he has been conducting his inquiry. Durham has only received a one-time guilty plea from Kevin Clinesmith (an ex-FBI lawyer) who admitted altering an email concerning a Trump campaign aide.
Recent reports indicate that the prosecutor may be considering criminal prosecutions for lower-ranking FBI agents as he investigates the 2016 information that led to the Trump-Russia investigation.
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Tags: News, Hillary Clinton. Devin Nunes. Congress, John Durham. Justice Department.
Original Author: Daniel Chaitin
Original Location: "Clinton Indictment" blows Russia collusion conspiracy wide open. Top GOP investigator says
