Former Clinton campaign lawyer acquitted in 1st defeat for Trump-era special counsel

• Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann was found not guilty of lying to the FBI.
• The verdict is a major blow to the John Durham's three-year investigation.

Attorney Michael Sussmann, a onetime lawyer for the Hillary Clinton campaign, was acquitted on Tuesday of lying to the FBI, delivering a blow to special counsel John Durham's investigation.

The Washington DC jury deliberated for six hours to reach the verdict. Durham is investigating the origins of the FBI's Trump-Russia investigation. Prosecutors accused Sussmann of lying to the FBI during a meeting with the federal agency about former President Donald Trump's connection to Russia during the 2016 presidential elections, but legal observers have observed the evidence against Sussmann was "quite weak."

—Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) May 27, 2022

Durham said in a statement that he was disappointed with the verdict but added that "we respect the jury's decision and thank them for their service."

"I also want to recognize and thank the investigators and the prosecution team for their dedicated efforts in seeking the truth and justice in this case," Durham said.

Trump and his allies have tried to use the Sussmann case to falsely claim that Trump was illegally surveilled and a link to Russian contacts was fabricated. But as Insider's C. Ryan Barber has reported, legal experts called the evidence against Sussmann thin, with one saying it would be "remarkably difficult" for prosecutors to prove their case. Legal experts have also speculated in the past that an acquittal could prompt more questions about the cost and purpose of Durham's probe.

Following the verdict, Sussmann told reporters that he was falsely accused.

"I told the truth to the FBI, and the Jury clearly recognized this in their unanimous verdict today," he said. "I'm grateful to the members of the jury for their careful thoughtful service. Despite being falsely accused I believe that Justice ultimately prevailed in my case. As you can imagine this has been a difficult year for my family and me. But right now we are grateful for the love and support of so many during this ordeal."

Sussmann's case is the latest outcome of Durham's three-year investigation. Early on in the investigation, Kevin Clinesmith, a former FBI agent, pleaded guilty in 2020 to falsifying an email used to support surveillancing Trump's former campaign aide Carter Page. In another case, Durham's team charged Igor Danchenko, a Russian analyst with making false statements to the FBI about the information he provided to Christoper Steele, the former British intelligence officer who authored a dossier acussing Trump of colluding with Russia on the 2016 presidential elections.