Unsurprising.
I doubt that Durham really thought that Michael Sussman would actually be convicted. Not with a judge that all but lives in the pockets of the same political machine that the investigation is supposed to be going after and three Clinton donors on the jury.
And, to no one’s surprise, Sussman was acquitted.
I’m not pinning much hope on the Durham investigation, but then again it doesn’t seem as if he was pinning much hope on the Sussman trial. The case against Sussman was a pretext for uncovering and making public a variety of background details and connections. That’s why most of the wrangling between the Democrat judge and the prosecution came down to arguments over making materials and allegations public.
Publicizing some of the details added pressure on the judge, but considering the city and the jury tilt, the outcome was an all but foregone conclusion.
But Sussman was just another in a series of interfaces. The real question is whether the Durham investigation has any appetite for going after bigger game and with more ammunition and more serious charges than lying to the FBI. That sort of thing was enough to nail Trump associates and anyone the system wants to bring down, but was never going to be enough to take down Clinton associates. Even if convicted, Sussman was not going to flip. Not on charges as weak as those.
The optimistic take is that the trial was meant to be part of the process of the investigation, not an end in and of itself. The pessimistic take is that this is the Mueller investigation with less resources and a different partisan brand, but will play out much the same way. The really pessimistic take is that it’s little more than an attempt to exculpate the FBI and the DOJ by trying to direct some of the blame at the Clinton campaign, but with no serious effort to actually uncover the truth.
We’ll find out which take is correct.
somehistory says
DC is a city of corruption; much like Chicago with its current mayor and the one it had before her.
It would be difficult to find a city in a state run by the corrupt to hold a trial of one of their “own” and get a guilty verdict. So many need to be “tried,” and never will be as long as corruption is the rule of the day.
ME Infidel says
You’re on to something, Daniel. Sussman is simply a pawn in an overall chess game played by Durham (and Trump). Remember Durham, until now, has never “lost” a case and also brought down the Mafia. He’s setting up the Criminal Syndicate and Deep State for multiple convictions. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” -“X22 Report”
gravenimage says
Of Course a Jury of Clinton Donors Wasn’t Going to Convict a Clinton Lawyer
…………
Unsurprising indeed.
OLD GUY says
Sadly I believe these investigations into political corruption will NEVER see a convection of anyone in power again. Only the little guys get convicted, they are the disposable. The only ones getting anything out of these investigations are the LAWYERS in Washington. No telling how many MILLIONS of TAX payer money is being spent on these investigations that never go anywhere. All political show.
M. Tiro says
I said this when Durham started–No one connected with Clinton will ever even be indicted, much less be prosecuted or convicted. I was wrong–the Clintons are experts at finding some worker bee to fall on their sword to protect the higher-ups. But it is almost a certainty that those who really called the shots–Clinton, Comey, and Obama–will never see even an indictment. The statute-of-limitations problem is not a coincidence. This investigation and prosecution was deliberately delayed so the S-O-L would make it impossible to convict anyone. It has worked before, and it is working now. The DC lawless continue to skate and to avoid responsibility for what they did.