In September, he alleged in an indictment that Michael Sussmann, a former federal prosecutor with expertise in computer cases, lied about the capacity in which he was providing the allegations to the FBI when he passed on information about possible digital connections between Russia-based Alfa Bank and a computer linked to the Trump Organization. The spending, detailed in documents released Wednesday by the Department of Justice, coincides with an uptick in activity from Durham and his team in recent months. Sussmann also tried to deliver similar material to another undisclosed agency in December 2016, after Trump had won the election. [34] By September 2022 the costs of his investigation has climbed to $6.5 million since assuming the role of special counsel. However, even though the report was intended to remain secret, report Charlie Savage attempted to use FISA in order to see the results of Durhams investigation, but the attempt was unsuccessful. Special counsel John Durhams review of the FBI investigation into possible coordination between Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian government has cost U.S. taxpayers about $3.8 million since October 2020, according to a Justice Department report released Wednesday. NTD News reports: When Special Counsel John Durham finishes his investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, his report will likely be made public, a Department of Justice official suggested in a newly released letter. Durham has been appointed as a special investigator in a number of high profile cases, specifically, the Whitey Bulger case. How rich is King Charles? In separate congressional testimony, Baker told lawmakers that Sussmann told him "that he had cyber experts that had obtained some information that they thought they should get into the hands of the FBI.". [15] He also led a series of high-profile prosecutions in Connecticut against the New England Mafia and corrupt politicians, including former Governor John G. The special prosecutor probing the origins of the federal investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, John Durham, has charged Washington lawyer Michael Sussmann with lying to the FBI during the early stages of the inquiry. Durham supervised an FBI task force that was brought in to investigate. Congressional investigators asked Sussmann in 2017 about this episode with Baker. Durham has so far charged two people with lying to the FBI. He was born on March 16, 1950. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Room B-103 Danchenko turns out to have been Steeles principal source for this fever dream. In all of those cases and myriad other matters, I saw a Justice Department that strove to insulate investigations from political considerations. Michael Sussmann, who worked through his law firm as an attorney for the Hillary Clinton campaign, is accused of a single felony count in a grand jury indictment. Priestap, Baker told lawmakers, assured him that he had extensively followed up on the Alfa Bank matter. In particular, Durham worked as a part of the Boston Strike Force. Though Durham initially focused on whether law enforcement and intelligence agencies acted inappropriately as they investigated the Trump campaign, the probe in recent months has seemed to zero in on whether people outside of government misled the FBI in an effort to keep attention on exaggerated claims of Trump ties with Russia. [14] Durham's task force also gathered evidence against retired FBI agent H. Paul Rico, who was indicted in Oklahoma on state charges that he helped Bulger and Flemmi kill a Tulsa businessman in 1981. John Henry Durham (born March 16, 1950)[3][4][5] is an American lawyer who served as the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut (D. Conn.) from 2018 to 2021. Sussmann testified he passed the information along on behalf of a client, who is a cybersecurity expert. John Durham is said to have a net worth of $1.5 million as of 2022. Copyright 2010-2021 This Nation. The FBI and congressional investigators both examined the pings between the computer systems and determined they were innocuous. In both trials, Durham alleged the defendants had deceived the FBI, rather than alleging the FBI acted improperly toward Trump. But Baker emphasized that he intentionally avoided learning more about the claim. That was detailed in yet another Durham court filing last week, in the Virginia federal court where Danchenko is soon scheduled to be tried. September 16, 2021 at 7:45 p.m. EDT. Well, no. The New York Times reported on Wednesday night that John Durham has informed the Department of Justice he will ask a grand jury to indict Michael Sussmann over his making a false statement to. Ironically, most of Durhams career has been spent in the United States government, whether he was a United States Attorney, a Chief of the Criminal Division (for a District Attorney office), a supervisor for a District Attorneys field office. Raskin roasts Durham inquiry as 'total flop,' presses Republicans to investigate. Special counsel John Durhams inquiry into the origins of the investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump presidential campaign spent close to $3.8 million over its first year of operations. A previous spending report released in May showed the Durham probe had totaled about $1.5 million from Oct. 19 through March 31. Russiagate special counsel John Durham is in the homestretch. When I served as counsel to then-Attorney General Janet Reno, she had appointed five independent counsels in President Bill Clintons first term, hardly endearing her to the president (but notably causing no public castigation of Reno by Clinton). After being asked by the Biden Administration to resign, John Durham left his United States Attorney in February 2021. An accounting released earlier this year showed Durham's investigation cost U.S. taxpayers about $1.45 million from mid-October 2020 through March 2021. Whether Trump likes it or not, the Hunter Biden investigation is proceeding as it should mostly in silence. Rather, it meant that there was a well-established shared concern that no appearance of or actual political interference was to take place. While the bureau used inane, unverified information from Steele and Danchenko to suggest to a court that the president of the United States might be a Russian asset, the FBI had intelligence indicating that Danchenko himself might actually have been a Russian asset. At the senior leadership level, great deference was given to career officials like the legendary David Margolis who had served in multiple administrations. Last week, in a jaw-dropping court submission, Durham revealed that the FBI signed up Danchenko as an informant and paid him for almost three years from March 2017 through October 2020 . Sussmann told Baker that he wasn't passing the information along at the behest of any client. From 1994 to 2008, he served as the Deputy U.S. Attorney, and served as the U.S. Attorney in an acting and interim capacity in 1997 and 1998. Sussmann worked on cybersecurity and privacy issues at the law firm Perkins Coie. 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Whether Trump likes it or not, the Hunter Biden investigation is proceeding as it should mostly in silence. The prosecutor investigating Hunter Biden's taxes will also remain. The case against Sussmann was assigned on Thursday to Judge Christopher Cooper, an appointee of President Barack Obama. Official websites use .gov Several years later, however, Durham always appears quiet, professional, and definitely apolitical. Shortly after the indictment was announced, the law firm where he was a partner, Perkins Coie, said it had accepted Sussmanns resignation. The administrations effort to recover the Justice Departments integrity is not limited to the Hunter Biden case. In April 2019, Attorney General William Barr announced that he had launched a review of the origins of the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections[32][33] and it was reported in May that he had assigned Durham to lead it several weeks earlier. Does everybody remember when we caught the Democrats, red-handed, SPYING ON MY CAMPAIGN? Its significance is to remind the American people that no one is above the law. seeks resignations of Trump-era US attorneys", "What Is a Special Counsel and What Can They Do? In 2019, however, CNN said his apolitical reputation was on the line once then United States Attorney William Barr tapped Durham to head an investigation into the Trump-Russian collusion probe. 3 min read Any report compiled by special counsel John Durham "may. This particular office investigated and prosecuted organized crime, especially racketeering. Unlike the Jan. 6 Capitol attack cases and potential investigations into members of Congress and Trump advisers that could emerge, the Hunter Biden matter is not one that involves seditious conspiracy against the U.S., an attempt to overturn a presidential election or any other issue of national significance. Durham has been rather quiet but professional regarding his current case. Baker, at the time, said he didnt recall whether Sussmann had represented himself as working on behalf of the Democratic Party or the Clinton campaign. [6] He is known for his role as special prosecutor in the 2005 destruction of interrogation tapes created by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), during which he decided not to file any criminal charges related to the destruction of tapes of torture at a CIA facility.[3]. Some fear his work for Barr could tarnish it. Special Prosecutor John Durham has charged Washington lawyer Michael Sussmann with lying to the FBI. When the bureau finally got around to questioning Danchenko because it hadnt been able to corroborate Steeles claims despite relying on them in court it learned that Steele appeared to have exaggerated and possibly fabricated rumors and innuendo about Trump that Danchenko was said to have passed along. It is notable, however, that Durham was only commissioned to look at investigations that had gone beyond the officially sanctioned guidelines. Holder told Durham that interrogators acting in good faith based on Bush Justice Department Torture Memos were not to be prosecuted. The FBI used those reports to justify obtaining secret surveillance orders targeting former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page to advance the agencys probe of possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia. Get a 17% Off In-Store Coupon When You Sign Up For Dunham's Email Rewards Danchenko and Sussmann are among the three people who have faced criminal charges from Durhams probe since it was commissioned by then-attorney general William Barr in May 2019. The administrations effort to recover the Justice Departments integrity is not limited to the Hunter Biden case. Of that, nearly $1.9 million was directly related to the teams investigation and approximately $471,000 was spent by other parts of the Justice Department in connection to Durhams work. In November, Durham alleged in an indictment that Igor Danchenko, an analyst who was a key source for a 2016 dossier of allegations about Trump, had lied to the FBI about where and how he got information. He was sworn in on February 22, 2018. Phone: 202-514-2000 The charge against Sussmann from a Washington grand jury is the first outward sign of activity in Durhams investigation in nearly nine months. By 2017, however, Durham was appointed by Donald Trump to become the U.S Attorney for Connecticut. 10/12/2022 02:24 PM EDT. Sussman billed these meetings to the Clinton campaign, according to the indictment. Yet these prosecutions are secondary to the vital story: What role did the FBI, whether by misfeasance or malfeasance, play in the Clinton campaigns project to paint Trump as a clandestine agent of the Kremlin? Unbelievably, Durham now explains that the counterintelligence investigation was closed because the FBI incorrectly believed that [Danchenko] had left the country.. Attorney. [39][40], According to CNN, Durham is "press-shy" and is known for his tendency to avoid the media. A 2019 report by the Justice Department inspector general already had found significant problems with Danchenkos information, but the indictment by Durhams team painted a vivid picture of how the allegations were riddled with rumors and outright falsehoods. [36][37], In 2011, Durham was included on The New Republic's list of Washington's most powerful, least famous people. He was a former governor of Connecticut, and he was found guilty on a number of corruption charges, many of which were prosecuted by Durham. [3][11] After graduation, he was a VISTA volunteer for two years (19751977) on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. "At its core, the Special Counsel is bringing a false statement charge based on an oral statement allegedly made five years ago to a single witness that is unrecorded and unobserved by anyone else. By April 2019, U.S. Attorney General William Barr had tasked Durham with overseeing a review of the origins of the Russia investigation and to determine if intelligence collection involving the Trump campaign was "lawful and appropriate". Durhams investigation turned up evidence, however, that was used by the mens families to win a multi-million dollar settlement for wrongful conviction. For now, we have to hope that Durhams final report will answer that question. Shan Wu is a legal analyst and former federal prosecutor who served as counsel to then-Attorney General Janet Reno. Durhams prosecutors presented abundant evidence that Sussmann had falsely told the FBI that he was not working for the Clinton campaign when he peddled spurious information about a supposed Trump-Putin communications back channel. After being asked by the Biden Administration to resign, John Durham left his United States Attorney in February 2021. [12], In May 2019, William Barr chose Durham to lead a probe into the origins of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation and the Mueller special counsel investigation. John H. Durham will remain as special counsel even as the Biden administration requests a mass resignation of U.S. attorneys. Durham alleged that Sussmann had billed time working on the issue to the Clinton campaign. Did the FBI end up finding out that Danchenko was not really a Russian asset? John Durham Special Counsel Contact Department of Justice Special Counsel's Office 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Room B-103 Washington, D.C. 20530 News Russian National Indicted for Making False Statements to the FBI, November 4, 2021 Now he works at Starbucks. In fact, reports from its investigation claim that in 2008, when he was working at the Brookings Institution (a center-left Washington think tank), Danchenko offered to pay two of his fellow researchers for classified information if they got jobs in the incoming Obama administration. Greg Kahn for The. Clinesmiths alterations, Durham charged, obscured Pages prior relationship with the CIA. He was appointed by Michael Mukasey to investigate whether tapes had been destroyed after interrogations. Sussmanns meeting with Baker had already been a subject of intense interest to Republicans on Capitol Hill, who grilled Baker about it during closed-door testimony in October 2018 during their own probe of the origins of the FBIs Trump-Russia investigation. Sussman was indicted on charges of providing false statements to the FBI, but, Sussmans name is back in the headlines again as a Durham court filing alleges that Sussman took manipulated traffic supposedly from Trump Tower and later the White House to the FBI inferring there was a connection between the Trump Organization and Russian government. LANSING, Mich. Daniel Sougstad has been charged with killing his parents, John and Barbara Sougstad, and his brother . Special counsel John Durham's inquiry into the origins of the investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump presidential campaign spent close to $3.8 million . [35], After 312 years, Durham indicted three men, one of whom pleaded guilty to a charge unrelated to the origins of the FBI investigation, and was sentenced to probation; the other two men were tried and acquitted. The FBI ultimately could not find anything nefarious about the connections. After in one year in this position, Durham would then move to the Assistant States Attorney position in the New Haven, Connecticut office of the Connecticut States Attorney. Americans anxiously await further Durham findings, and experts say that there is much more to come regarding Durhams investigation. An underboss was the aforementioned Enrico Tameleo, whom was also wrongfully convicted (and Durham had his sentence overturned). John Durham News Current Page: 1 . He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colgate University in 1972 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1975. Durham would be responsible for the successful prosecution of John J. Connolly, Jr. (Connollys story with Bulger was immortalized on film in Black Mass). Last year, Barr converted Durhams probe into a special counsel investigation under Justice Department regulations. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Washington DC 20530, Contact the Department Although Danchenko was the most important source for Steeles explosive allegations against Trump, the FBI did not interview him prior to using Steeles dossier in its first two sworn surveillance applications, in October 2016 and January 2017. WASHINGTON John H. Durham, the special counsel appointed by the Trump administration to scrutinize the Russia investigation, has told the Justice Department that he will ask a grand jury to. Rowland. If they wanted to go interview Sussmann and ask him all those kind of questions, fine with me.. But the prosecutors curiously portrayed the FBI as the victim of Sussmanns machinations when the proof suggested that the bureau was not fooled at all and seemed more like a willing participant in building the Trump/Russia political narrative. John Durham report is coming, some people will go to prison Sara Carter Ranking member of the powerful House Intelligence Committee Rep. Devin Nunes told me on The Sara Carter Show podcast that he still expects Justice Department Special Counsel John Durham to release a damaging report on the FBI's debunked investigation into former President Donald Trump and Russia. It was closed in 2012 with no charges filed. Theres more. Russian National Indicted for Making False Statements to the FBI, Grand Jury Indicts D.C. Attorney with Making False Statements to the FBI in 2016 Regarding Alleged Communications Between Trump Organization and Russian Bank. [38], In 2004, Durham was decorated with the Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service and, in 2012, with the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service. Prior to that, Durham broughtan indictment against attorney Michael Sussmann, alleging that Sussmann similarly misled the FBI in the early stages of its probe. Danchenko has pleaded not guilty; an attorney representing him when he was charged has asserted Danchenkos work as a researcher is above reproach and that people with an agenda were seeking to tarnish his reputation. Durham, along with fifty-six others nominated to similar positions by President Trump, was a part of the shake-up at the request of Joe Biden. The development is a potential sign that Durham may be mulling additional . He would be sworn in to this position by 2018, but, within one year, Durham would be tapped for the current investigation in which he is heading that of the origins of the Trump-Russian collusion probe. And in all of the regular reports she received from line prosecutors, supervisors and heads of divisions, that concern was never brought up. IE 11 is not supported. He has also investigated corruption, and torture techniques utilized on detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. Comparing his expenditures to Durhams is difficult, though, because of the time period in which Durham was not operating as a special counsel, and the differing natures of their assignments. Michael Sussmann, a former federal prosecutor who had worked at a law firm with longstanding links to the Democratic Party, is the second individual to be charged in special counsel John Durham's investigation into the origins of the FBI's Trump-Russia probe. Durhams quiet demeanor lends little public knowledge of his personal life. To date, Garland has said little about the level of DOJs oversight into Durhams activities, other than to say they are following the Justice Departments rules regarding special counsels. From 1978 to 1982, Durham served as an Assistant State's Attorney in the New Haven State's Attorney's Office. He previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in various positions in D.C. for 35 years. The most prominent member of the New England Mafia was Peter Limone. The FBI subsequently investigated the purported link but found insufficient evidence to support it, prosecutors say.
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