Opinion | John Durham's zombie Russia investigation produces an iffy indictment. Is this all there is? - The Washington Post
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
After more than two years and the persistent goading of former president Donald Trump, special counsel John Durham, the lawyer Trump-era attorney general William P. Barr tapped to probe the Justice Department's 2016 Russia investigation, finally did something on Thursday. He indicted attorney Michael Sussmann for allegedly lying to the FBI.
This, to put it mildly, is not the confirmation of some broad 2016 deep-state conspiracy against Mr. Trump that the former president apparently desired.
The danger of special counsel investigations is that, given unlimited time and resources, they often find some bad action tangentially related to their original inquiry that may have had little or no substantial negative impact. Mr. Durham has uncovered alleged wrongdoing that has little to do with whether federal officials tried to sabotage the Trump campaign.
The case against Mr. Sussmann is iffy. It revolves around a Sept. 19, 2016, meeting Mr. Sussmann had with James Baker, an FBI lawyer, in which Mr. Sussmann relayed concerns about curious Internet data that may have indicated that Mr. Trump, then a candidate for president, was in secret contact with Alfa Bank, a Russian financial institution. Mr. Baker claims that Mr. Sussmann said he was not representing any client during the meeting, when he was in fact working for the Hillary Clinton campaign. Mr. Sussmann denies he said that, and he argues that he was not technically representing the campaign during the meeting, anyway.
The indictment claims that had Mr. Sussmann informed the FBI of his ties to the Clinton campaign, they might have taken a different view of the information he presented. This is not the same as saying that investigators would have taken substantially different actions as a result. Indeed, the indictment admits that federal officials knew about Mr. Sussmann's associations. Investigators would have examined the strange Internet traffic anyway, and dismissed the alleged Trump-Alfa Bank connection, as they did.
Even if true, the Sussmann episode is far less alarming than the case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, whom Mr. Barr moved to protect from punishment and Mr. Trump later pardoned. Mr. Flynn admitted to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador, an issue of central importance to the investigation of the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. The consequences of Mr. Sussmann's alleged lie are minimal by comparison.
The Justice Department indicated Thursday that Mr. Durham's investigation is ongoing. So far there are no indications he has uncovered anything suggesting an illegitimate government plot to subvert the 2016 Trump campaign — or even that the Russia inquiry was unwarranted. That is because the facts already public proved long ago that there was ample reason for federal investigators to launch and pursue the Russia investigation. If Mr. Durham has nothing more compelling coming, he should bring an end to this long-running exercise.
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How John Durham and the gop look to America...
Yet, Trump was colluding with Russia to build Trump Tower in Moscow right up to election day in 2016...
He even tried to bribe Putin with a 50 Mil penthouse!
Obviously the origins of the Russia Probe were legit!
The vision of the GOP forgiving all connections that emerged as crooked Trump LIED to US straight faced till sounding embarrassingly apologetic to Putin, his idol and Pee Tape holder, as Trump NEVER had a negative word about Putin the little mind Fck who towered over Trump's inteligence and played upon trumps' easily manipulated insecure and impure, insecurity risk. All it took was a little praise, the temptation of a newly opened real estate market, and some embarrassing footage that i'm positive does exist, and it rests in Putin's hands all while those hands were busy fixing our little ole election process as he authorized his intelligence agencies to exploit the ignorance of far TOO MANY IGNORANT AMERICANS with disinformation and dat information, and via social diseased media and Far 'right' Nw=ews out of site and mind that couldn't get it right cause it was purposely spreading LIES and propaganda to divide and place doubt in minds that didn't, and they didn't mind, cause it was telling them what they wanted to hear and have to fear, as they divided US by multiplying the lying so many X's more than the divisions subtracted additions could calculate, via hate and spewing lies, and i'm sure some recall some from the Vine, as their slang and country twang wasn't original, as learned English and growing up with American English, were often quite obviously not completely sin anonymous with Russian Trolls who made EZ=Passes to masses of asses they corrupted with their inaccuricies that so many of the not Lite bright brought N bought inn too , that hipocracy is far too weak a word , as absurd, id the gullibility of so many who to this day still stand with trump after Trump continuously stood by the one who Putin him in the presidency Peyton place of the people, by manipulating and molding the far too easily malleable minds of Minions unable to form their own opinions, as that is just mine.
From the article: "The danger of special counsel investigations is that, given unlimited time and resources, they often find some bad action tangentially related to their original inquiry that may have had little or no substantial negative impact"
Kinda sounds like the Mewlur investigation. Durham is just getting started.
Mueller Investigation:
The investigation resulted in charges against 34 individuals and 3 companies, 8 guilty pleas, and a conviction at trial .
Durham Investigation:
Mr. Baker claims that Mr. Sussmann said he was not representing any client during the meeting, when he was in fact working for the Hillary Clinton campaign. Mr. Sussmann denies he said that, and he argues that he was not technically representing the campaign during the meeting, anyway.
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Results tell the story, Mueller had them, Durham does not. Durham's 1 single indictment will go no further, since there were no recording of this meeting, and it is basically down to "he said/he said".
That is another take on it. A wrongheaded one...
If John Durham had anything real to prosecute the FBI he would have pulled the trigger on it while it might have helped Trump win in 2020.
He didn't. The FBI and intelligence agencies had no choice but see Trump was lying about colluding with Russia during the campaign.
None of that implicated Trump in any way for anything
Now you've just got your eyes closed. Trump would have been indicted if not for his position of POTUS. Trump would also have been required to testify under oath, if not for that same position.
He isn't President now, is he?
The investigation is over now, isn't it?
Yes.
What does the investigation being finished have to do with a failure to charge Trump now?
Would you have expected the investigation to be ongoing in order to indict Trump? That is silly.
Just getting started?????????
How many years has he been digging
to find essentially nothing?
Some ignorant folks pretend not to understand the truth of the situation Ozz
And some act ignorant to try, and fail, to confuse others.
How many years has it taken Durham to show he's got nothing?
I can't stand his ugly face!
Looks like Lauren Bobert and Ted Cruz had a baby...
Lauren Boebert is actually attractive. Durham looks like Cruz and Large Marge had a baby...and it came out of Cruz's butt
I don't find Bobert cute because she is dumb!
The bitch plays dumb which makes her really ugly inside
Remember when rightwingers were all hot for Sarah Palin? I found her disgusting myself...
yes he is...which begs the question...why would someone use his photo as an avatar?