By Steve Neavling
A Russian analyst who worked on the Steele dossier was acquitted by a jury on Tuesday of charges that he lied to the FBI about the source of his information.
Igor Danchenko’s acquittal in federal court represents another significant defeat for John Durham, the special counsel appointed to investigate the origins of the FBI probe into Trump’s ties with Russia.
After about nine hours of deliberations, the jury of seven men and five women found Danchenko not guilty of four counts of making false statements to the FBI.
Prosecutors alleged Danchenko lied about conversations he had with sources and fabricated details of the dossier, which made unfounded and salacious allegations about Donald Trump’s ties to Russia.
Danchenko declined to take the stand during the trial.
In a written statement, Durham said, “While we are disappointed in the outcome, 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 truth and justice in this case,” according to Politico.
During the trial, Kevin Nelson, a veteran FBI counterintelligence agent, said Danchenko provided invaluable assistance as a paid FBI informant.
In another case brought by Durham, Michael Sussman, a cybersecurity attorney who represented Hillary Clinton during the presidential election, was acquitted by a jury in May.
Sussmann was accused of lying to the FBI in September 2016 by falsely saying he was not representing Clinton’s campaign. At the time, Sussmann told the FBI that cybersecurity researchers were concerned about possible ties between Russia and the Trump organization.
