Changes

==Trial==

==Trial==

While it was expected that special counsel John Durham would challenge the official media and establishment narrative that the Trump-Russia investigation was properly predicated and carried out, it is Sussmann who challenged that narrative.  Durham made it clear from day one of the trial that he would run with the opposite narrative, that the FBI was a victim. In essence, Durham forced Sussmann’s team to attack the FBI in order to exonerate their client.  In possibly the biggest bombshell, Sussmann’s team revealed an internal FBI text message that proved that the FBI leadership under [[James Comey]] was vigorously pushing the Trump-Russia collusion hoax despite the flimsiness of the evidence.  It is the first public acknowledgment backed by documentary evidence that FBI leadership was focused on taking out Trump.<ref>https://www.theepochtimes.com/new-internal-fbi-text-message-reveals-fbi-leaderships-desire-to-get-trump-truth-over-news_4492007.html</ref>  Andrew McCarthy noted that the FBI ignored Sussmann's lies to get their hands on Trump.<ref>https://nypost.com/2022/05/26/fbi-ignored-lies-to-get-their-hands-on-trump/</ref> FBI headquarters officials fully realized they were acting on highly political information and took steps to conceal that fact.

While it was expected that special counsel John Durham would challenge the official media and establishment narrative that the Trump-Russia investigation was properly predicated and carried out, it is Sussmann who challenged that narrative.  Durham made it clear from day one of the trial that he would run with the opposite narrative, that the FBI was a victim. In essence, Durham forced Sussmann’s team to attack the FBI in order to exonerate their client.  In possibly the biggest bombshell, Sussmann’s team revealed an internal FBI text message that proved that the FBI leadership under [[James Comey]] was vigorously pushing the Trump-Russia collusion hoax despite the flimsiness of the evidence.  It is the first public acknowledgment backed by documentary evidence that FBI leadership was focused on taking out Trump.<ref>https://www.theepochtimes.com/new-internal-fbi-text-message-reveals-fbi-leaderships-desire-to-get-trump-truth-over-news_4492007.html</ref>  Andrew McCarthy noted that the FBI ignored Sussmann's lies to get their hands on Trump.  FBI headquarters officials fully realized they were acting on highly political information and took steps to conceal that fact.

First, a decision was made to treat Sussmann, the source, as a confidential informant. This was not done to protect Sussmann’s security. It was done to protect the FBI’s reputation. The informant pretext enabled headquarters to conceal Sussmann’s identity from the line agents in Chicago who were tasked to assess the Alfa-Bank information.  As good investigators, the agents wanted to know the source of the information so they could assess the purveyor’s motive and thus the data’s likely reliability. They were frustrated and annoyed that headquarters would not identify the source and allow him to be interviewed.  If they had been told Sussmann was behind the data, they would instantly have known that the information was political. As it was, they quickly concluded that the information was nonsense, that it did not come close to establishing a Trump-Kremlin communications channel, and that it probably came from someone with an anti-Trump agenda.  

First, a decision was made to treat Sussmann, the source, as a confidential informant. This was not done to protect Sussmann’s security. It was done to protect the FBI’s reputation. The informant pretext enabled headquarters to conceal Sussmann’s identity from the line agents in Chicago who were tasked to assess the Alfa-Bank information.  As good investigators, the agents wanted to know the source of the information so they could assess the purveyor’s motive and thus the data’s likely reliability. They were frustrated and annoyed that headquarters would not identify the source and allow him to be interviewed.  If they had been told Sussmann was behind the data, they would instantly have known that the information was political. As it was, they quickly concluded that the information was nonsense, that it did not come close to establishing a Trump-Kremlin communications channel, and that it probably came from someone with an anti-Trump agenda.  

Second, the headquarters effort to cover up Sussmann’s identity reached such absurd heights that the FBI itself made false statements in documenting the investigation. In the “electronic communication” by which the bureau opens cases, agents claimed that the information had come not from Sussmann, not even from a confidential source, but from … wait for it … the US Department of Justice. This was so ridiculous that, embarrassingly, none of the agents involved could explain how that happened.  

Second, the headquarters effort to cover up Sussmann’s identity reached such absurd heights that the FBI itself made false statements in documenting the investigation. In the “electronic communication” by which the bureau opens cases, agents claimed that the information had come not from Sussmann, not even from a confidential source, but from … wait for it … the US Department of Justice. This was so ridiculous that, embarrassingly, none of the agents involved could explain how that happened.  

Third, the FBI’s brass was so hot to nail Trump for supposedly being a clandestine agent of Russia that the line agents’ rejection of the evidence made no difference. “People on the 7th floor to include the Director are fired up about this server,” said headquarters agent Joe Pientka in a message to one of the Chicago agents.  The 7th floor houses the suite of top executive offices at FBI headquarters, including that of Director Comey. When the Chicago cyber investigators found no basis for criminal charges, they were told to keep the case open as a counterintelligence matter. “Priestap says it’s not an option — we must do it,” admonished Pientka, referring to the bureau’s top counterintelligence official.  Andrew McCarthy concluded that if Sussmann was acquitted, that will have a lot more to do with the FBI’s illegal machinations to interfere in the US 2016 presidential election than Sussmann’s innocence.

Third, the FBI’s brass was so hot to nail Trump for supposedly being a clandestine agent of Russia that the line agents’ rejection of the evidence made no difference. “People on the 7th floor to include the Director are fired up about this server,” said headquarters agent [[Joe Pientka]] in a message to one of the Chicago agents.  The 7th floor houses the suite of top executive offices at FBI headquarters, including that of Director Comey. When the Chicago cyber investigators found no basis for criminal charges, they were told to keep the case open as a counterintelligence matter. “[[Priestap]] says it’s not an option — we must do it,” admonished Pientka, referring to the bureau’s top [[counterintelligence]] official.   

 

Andrew McCarthy concluded that if Sussmann was acquitted, that will have a lot more to do with the FBI’s illegal machinations to interfere in the US [[2016 presidential election]] than Sussmann’s innocence.<ref>https://nypost.com/2022/05/26/fbi-ignored-lies-to-get-their-hands-on-trump/</ref>

On May 31, 2022, a [[District of Columbia]] jury acquitted Sussmann on one count of lying to investigators during a Sept. 19, 2016 meeting during which he conveyed now-debunked data that purportedly linked [[Trump Tower]] to Russia's [[Alfa Bank]].  The trial on the single count spanned almost two weeks, as prosecutors called over a dozen witnesses ranging from former FBI counsel [[James Baker]] to [[Hillary Clinton]]'s presidential campaign manager, [[Robby Mook]].

On May 31, 2022, a [[District of Columbia]] jury acquitted Sussmann on one count of lying to investigators during a Sept. 19, 2016 meeting during which he conveyed now-debunked data that purportedly linked [[Trump Tower]] to Russia's [[Alfa Bank]].  The trial on the single count spanned almost two weeks, as prosecutors called over a dozen witnesses ranging from former FBI counsel [[James Baker]] to [[Hillary Clinton]]'s presidential campaign manager, [[Robby Mook]].