OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan has revealed one major concern he has with Special Counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.
During an interview on Just The News host John Solomon, Jordan said he’s disputing one claim made by Durham in his case against a former Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann, who was charged last year with lying to the FBI.
Sussmann, who previously worked for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign-hired firm Perkins Coie, was charged by Durham’s team with making false statements to the FBI when he met with then-General Counsel James Baker in 2016.
While Sussmann has pleaded not guilty, Durham reported in a court filing that Sussmann had told the FBI that he wasn’t working for Clinton’s campaign when he was being billed by them.
Jordan said his “only concern” regarding Durham’s investigation is when the special prosecutor said that “he doesn’t think the FBI knew who Sussmann was representing, but I just find that hard to believe.”
“Sussmann’s false statement misled the FBI General Counsel and other FBI personnel concerning the political nature of his work and deprived the FBI of information that might have permitted it more fully to assess and uncover the origins of the relevant data and technical analysis, including the identities and motivations of Sussmann’s clients,” Durham’s indictment said.
Jordan argued that Baker was “actually friends with Sussmann,” citing that an email in the case revealed as much.
The Ohio Republican mentioned an email sent by Sussmann to Baker, which was cited in Durham’s court filings, which read: “Jim — it’s Michael Sussmann. I have something time-sensitive (and sensitive) I need to discuss … Do you have [availability] for a short meeting tomorrow? I’m coming on my own — not on behalf of a client or company — want to help the Bureau. Thanks.”
Jordan said “everything else” in Durham’s probe appears to be “encouraging to see that he’s digging into this and getting to the bottom of it.” said Jordan.
Last week, a federal judge ruled that tweets sent by Hillary Clinton that accused former President Donald Trump of colluding with Russia during the 2016 presidential election cannot be admitted as evidence in court.
Judge Christopher Cooper denied Durham’s request to allow them as evidence in the trial of Sussmann.
“Donald Trump has a secret server,” she said in a tweet. “It was set up to communicate privately with a Putin-tied Russian bank.”
It's time for Trump to answer serious questions about his ties to Russia. https://t.co/D8oSmyVAR4 pic.twitter.com/07dRyEmPjX
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 31, 2016
“Computer scientists have apparently uncovered a covert server linking the Trump Organization to a Russian-based bank,” she said in another tweet.
Computer scientists have apparently uncovered a covert server linking the Trump Organization to a Russian-based bank. pic.twitter.com/8f8n9xMzUU
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 1, 2016
The Democrat 2016 presidential candidate then shared a statement by President Joe Biden’s current national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, who was then her campaign advisor.
“This could be the most direct link yet between Donald Trump and Moscow,” he said. “This secret hotline may be the key to unlocking the mystery of Trump’s ties to Russia.”
“We can only assume that federal authorities will now explore this direct connection between Trump and Russia,” he said.
Judge Cooper, who was appointed by former President Obama, said he would dismiss the tweets as “hearsay” and that “it’s likely duplicative of other evidence.”
Durham argued that the tweets should be allowed as evidence because Clinton had presented them as “truth” and because they “show the existence of the defendant’s attorney-client relationship with the Clinton Campaign, which is directly relevant to the false statement charge.”
Durham revealed in court filings that staffers at the political research firm at the center of the so-called “Russiagate” scandal sent hundreds of emails to journalists containing unsubstantiated allegations against and claims about then-GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.
The purpose of leaking the claims was to generate negative news coverage about the Republican candidate, the filing stated.
Prior to that, Durham said in a court filing that a wave of emails undermines claims by the Clinton campaign that Fusion GPS’s research on behalf of her presidential effort ought to remain confidential as part of attorney-client privilege.
According to the Washington Times, the stories peddled to media included:
- A Wall Street Journal article about a Trump adviser meeting with a former KGB official close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- A Washington Post story about a Trump campaign adviser investing in Russia.
- New York Times and Reuters articles about the FBI investigating a secret communications setup between Mr. Trump and Russia’s Alfa Bank.
GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said the special counsel is exposing the Clinton campaign’s “political dirty tricks.”
“We’ve known for quite some time what happened here. And what the Durham indictments are just proving is how not only complicit but the Clinton campaign did this. They literally did this,” he told the Times.
“What the Clinton campaign did in terms of political dirty tricks, we are still putting up with the repercussions. Would Vladimir Putin have invaded Ukraine if Trump was still in office? That’s an interesting question,” he added.
