Sussman has been charged with a felony count of making a false statement to the FBI. The 12-member jury is made up of seven women and five men, and includes five people of color.
Special counsel prosecutors argued that there is “overwhelming” evidence that Sussman “hidden” ties to the Clinton campaign and hid his work under the guise of cybersecurity to give an unfounded Trump-Russia tip to the FBI.
“It was not about national security,” prosecutor Jonathan Algor told the jury. “It was about promoting opposition research about the opposition candidate, Donald Trump.”
Prosecutors allege that Sussman lied to then-FBI General Counsel James Baker on September 19, 2016, while passing along a tip about a possible connection between the Trump Organization and Kremlin-linked Alfa Bank. Sussman is accused of falsely telling Baker that he was not on behalf of a client, although according to Durham, he was there on Clinton’s behalf. (The FBI found no illegal activity after a four-month investigation.)
The case is the first major courtroom test for Durham, a Trump-era prosecutor who has spent three years looking for misconduct in the FBI’s Russia investigation but has not delivered the blatant indictments Trump has predicted.
A conviction could bolster Durham’s credibility, while an acquittal could vindicate his critics, who say he is under political scrutiny of weak principles.
Sussman’s lawyers on Friday accused Durham of trying to “misdirect” the jury by coaching and coercing witnesses to plead guilty in a case that “makes no sense” and “never before.” should not be brought”.
“The time for political conspiracy theories is over,” defense attorney Sean Berkowitz said during closing arguments. “The time to talk about the evidence is now.”
He claimed that Durham tried to “sabotage” a key witness by threatening prosecution, and picked up a large batch of emails and government documents to fit his case against Sussman.
“Any piece of evidence that doesn’t fit their tunnel-vision theory is overlooked,” Berkowitz said.
He also dismissed prosecutors’ focus on “opposition research” during his closing statements, carefully showing how Sussman worked with top Clinton campaign lawyers and researchers to help the media collect and disprove anti-Trump material. Funded by Campaign to Promote.
“Opposition research is not illegal,” Berkowitz said. “If that were the case, the prisons in Washington, DC would be over.”
Sussman, who has pleaded not guilty, could face up to five years in prison if convicted, although there is no guarantee that he will serve behind bars at any time, and will be treated as a first-time offender. I will get less punishment.