DOJ special counsel Durham secures indictment against DC cybersecurity lawyer in Russia review

Justice Department special counsel John Durham, who has been examining abuses during the Russia investigation, secured an indictment Thursday against a Washington attorney accused of lying to the FBI.

The charge against Michael Sussmann, a prominent cybersecurity attorney whose firm is closely tied with Democratic Party interests, is linked to a 2016 contact with the FBI when he raised concerns about a secret channel of communications between a Russian bank and the Trump Organization.

Prosecutors claim that Sussmann had requested the Sept. 19, 2016, meeting with then-FBI general counsel James Baker to provide "data files" and other evidence of the covert communications link involving the Moscow-based Alfa Bank and did not disclose that he was acting as an advocate for other interested parties.

"In fact, Sussmann assembled and conveyed the allegations to the FBI on behalf of at least two clients, including a U.S. technology executive and the Clinton Presidential Campaign," prosecutors said.

Sussmann's firm, Perkins Coie, also has represented the Democratic National Committee.

The indictment also claims that researchers were directed "to mine this internet data to establish 'an inference' and 'narrative' that would tie then-presidential candidate Donald Trump to Russia..."

An FBI examination of the material ultimately concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support such a tie between the bank and the Trump Organization.

Sussmann's information, according to court documents, "misled the FBI concerning the political nature of his work."

The timing of the charging decision is linked to a five-year statute of limitations consideration that would expire Sunday.