He zeroed in on the shortcomings and errors of the early Trump-Russia probe – specifically the bureau’s overreliance on the dossier to propel forward some key parts of their burgeoning inquiry.ĭanchenko is a Russian citizen but has lived in the US for years with his family. The dossier’s primary allegation – that there was a “well-developed conspiracy of cooperation” between Donald Trump and the Russians – repeatedly came up throughout the proceedings.ĭurham also used the case to put the FBI on trial, in what could be a preview of his upcoming final report. Jurors were shown portions of Steele’s memos, which he has previously said weren’t ever meant to become public. The week-long trial against Danchenko resurrected many of the 2016 election dramas.įBI agents described their efforts to corroborate the Steele dossier, which ultimately came up empty. I also want to recognize and thank the investigators and the prosecution team for their dedicated efforts in seeking truth and justice in this case.” In a statement, Durham said: “While we are disappointed in the outcome, we respect the jury’s decision and thank them for their service. “We thank these jurors for their hard work and deliberation in reaching the right decision.” We’re happy now that the American public knows that as well,” Sears told reporters outside the courthouse. The proceedings were rocky at times for the special counsel, who lashed out at some of his own witnesses after they ended up providing testimony that helped Danchenko’s defense.ĭanchenko attorney Stuart Sears praised the result. In many ways, the verdict is a direct blow to Durham, who personally handled most of the arguments and witness questioning. ![]() The largely discredited dossier was a collection of unverified and salacious allegations compiled by retired British spy Christopher Steele, whose dirt-digging was indirectly funded by Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016. The verdict means jurors weren’t persuaded by Durham’s allegations that Danchenko lied to the FBI about his contacts with a Belarusian-American businessman who was a possible source for the dossier. Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty ImagesįBI offered Christopher Steele $1 million to prove dossier claims, senior FBI analyst testifies Former UK intelligence officer Christopher Steele arrives at the High Court in London on July 24, 2020, to attend his defamation trial brought by Russian tech entrepreneur Alexej Gubarev.
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