U.S. jury acquits Russian on charges he lied to FBI over Steele dossier
2022.10.18 16:55
By Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Russian researcher who contributed explosive details to the “Steele dossier” that alleged ties between former President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia was acquitted on Tuesday on charges he lied to the FBI about the sources of his intelligence.
A federal jury’s acquittal of Igor Danchenko represents yet another blow to Special Counsel John Durham, who was appointed in 2019 by Trump-era Attorney General William Barr to probe the FBI’s “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation into whether Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign had colluded with Russia.
“While we are disappointed in the outcome, we respect the jury’s decision and thank them for their service,” Durham said in a statement.
The decision marks the second defeat for Durham and his team of prosecutors. Earlier this year, a jury in Washington, D.C., acquitted Michael Sussmann, an attorney for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, of charges he lied to the FBI when he passed along a later discredited tip about possible communications between Trump’s business and a Russian bank.
