{"id":1461195,"date":"2022-05-03T07:29:37","date_gmt":"2022-05-03T11:29:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1461195"},"modified":"2022-05-03T07:29:39","modified_gmt":"2022-05-03T11:29:39","slug":"durham-ramps-up-efforts-to-get-judge-to-review-clinton-campaign-and-dnc-docs-shielded-by-attorney-client-privilege","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/durham-ramps-up-efforts-to-get-judge-to-review-clinton-campaign-and-dnc-docs-shielded-by-attorney-client-privilege\/","title":{"rendered":"Durham Ramps Up Efforts to Get Judge to Review Clinton Campaign and DNC Docs Shielded by Attorney-Client Privilege"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdurham-ramps-up-efforts-to-get-judge-to-review-clinton-campaign-and-dnc-docs-shielded-by-attorney-client-privilege%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1461195&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<div class=\"RichTextArticleBody\">\n<div class=\"RichTextArticleBody-body\">\n<p><span class=\"ArticlePage-articleBody-firstLetter\">S<\/span>pecial counsel John Durham is ramping up his efforts to get a judge to review documents <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/clinton-campaign-elias-dnc-and-fusion-gps-battle-durham\">shielded<\/a> by attorney-client privilege claims from Hillary Clinton&#8217;s 2016 campaign and the Democratic National Committee. <\/p>\n<p>The prosecutor submitted a filing in federal court Monday pointing to a Federal Election Commission ruling that fined those Democrats for violating rules with the funding of research that became a central part of the effort to accuse Clinton&#8217;s rival, Donald Trump, of <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/sussmann-doesnt-want-clinton-tweet-touting-collusion-claims-to-be-admissible\">collusion with Russia<\/a>. The submission is part of the case against Michael Sussmann, a lawyer who was <u><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/courts\/sussmann-wants-durham-filing-about-trump-white-house-snooping-stricken-from-record\">indicted<\/a><\/u> in September for allegedly <u><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/durham-grand-jury-indicts-lawyer-allegedly-lying-fbi-concealing-ties-clinton-campaign\">concealing<\/a><\/u> his clients \u2014 Clinton&#8217;s campaign and \u201cTech Executive-1,\u201d <u><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/tech-exec-1-says-he-will-plead-the-fifth-in-durham-case\">Rodney Joffe<\/a><\/u> \u2014 from FBI general counsel James Baker in September 2016 when he presented internet data that suggested a now-discredited back channel link between the Trump Organization and Russia\u2019s Alfa-Bank. Sussmann has pleaded not guilty. <\/p>\n<div class=\"Enhancement\">\n<div class=\"Enhancement-item\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Durham&#8217;s motion attached recently public FEC filings, including the FEC\u2019s \u201cconciliation agreement\u201d with the DNC and Hillary for America. The FEC found &#8220;probable cause to believe&#8221; the Clinton campaign and the DNC improperly reported their payments to Perkins Coie for Fusion GPS\u2019s opposition research as &#8220;legal and compliance consulting,&#8221; the special counsel said. <\/p>\n<p>The special counsel said <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/durham-accidentally-releases-fusion-gps-emails-that-were-meant-to-be-under-seal\">evidence<\/a> at trial, set to begin this month, will show that beginning in late July 2016, Sussmann, Joffe, and \u201cagents of the Clinton campaign\u201d were \u201cassembling and disseminating the Russian Bank-1 allegations and other derogatory information about Trump and his associates to the media and the U.S. government.\u201d The special counsel said he will \u201cestablish that these efforts amounted to a joint venture.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Hillary for America, the DNC, opposition research firm Fusion, and the Perkins Coie law firm are fighting Durham\u2019s <u><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/durham-asks-judge-to-review-clinton-campaign-claims-of-attorney-client-privilege\">efforts<\/a><\/u> to compel the handing over of withheld documents. They argue claims of attorney-client privilege should keep the records concealed and claim Fusion simply provided them legal services. <\/p>\n<p>The <i>Washington Examiner<\/i> first reported in March that the FEC <u><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/fec-fines-dnc-clinton-for-trump-dossier-hoax\">ruled<\/a><\/u> the month prior there was \u201cprobable cause\u201d to <u><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/durham-focuses-on-russian-yotaphones-clinton-campaign-lawyer-linked-to-trump\">believe<\/a><\/u> the Clinton campaign and the DNC violated federal laws by \u201cmisreporting the purpose of certain disbursements&#8221; and fined them. <\/p>\n<p>The FEC said the DNC paid $849,407 and the Clinton campaign paid $175,000 to Perkins Coie for what was alleged in a <u><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/groups-claim-hillary-clinton-campaign-broke-campaign-laws-over-fusion-gps-and-steele-funding\">complaint<\/a><\/u> to be \u201copposition research done by Fusion.\u201d The Clinton campaign reported the purpose of all those payments as \u201clegal services,\u201d and the DNC reported the purpose of most of those payments as \u201clegal and compliance consulting.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><b><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/judge-wont-let-clinton-collusion-tweet-be-admitted-in-sussmann-trial\">JUDGE WON&#8217;T LET CLINTON COLLUSION TWEET BE ADMITTED IN SUSSMANN TRIAL<\/a><\/b> <\/p>\n<p>British ex-spy Christopher Steele created his <u><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/democratic-lawyer-sussmann-doesnt-want-steele-dossier-brought-up-during-durham-trial\">discredited anti-Trump dossier<\/a><\/u> after being hired by Fusion, which was itself hired by Perkins and Marc Elias, the <u><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/steele-dossier-funder-marc-elias-testified-before-john-durhams-grand-jury\">general counsel<\/a><\/u> for Clinton\u2019s campaign. Sussmann and Elias worked for Perkins at the time. Fusion pushed Alfa-Bank claims, too. <\/p>\n<p>Durham <u><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/durham-accidentally-releases-fusion-gps-emails-that-were-meant-to-be-under-seal\">obtained<\/a><\/u> hundreds of emails from Fusion showing it was pushing unverified Trump-Russia collusion allegations to the media throughout 2016. <\/p>\n<p>The special counsel\u2019s Monday supplement included a February filing by the FEC&#8217;s acting general counsel, Lisa Stevenson, in which she said the commission found \u201cprobable cause\u201d that the DNC and Clinton campaign had violated campaign laws \u201cby failing to report the proper purpose of the funds \u2026 paid to Perkins Coie for work performed by Fusion GPS.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Another attached FEC document called the \u201cFirst General Counsel\u2019s Report\u201d concluded that \u201cthe available information suggests that HFA and the DNC did not properly disclose the purpose of the disbursements to Perkins Coie, for what appears to have been opposition research done by Fusion.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The FEC\u2019s \u201cSecond General Counsel\u2019s Report\u201d found \u201cthe invoices demonstrate that Fusion was providing opposition research services related to Trump and Russia, and there is no evidence that Fusion provided services other than this opposition research.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Durham <u><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/democratic-lawyer-protests-durham-case-jurors-being-asked-about-links-to-clinton-promotion-of-collusion-narrative\">said<\/a><\/u> in April that Fusion \u201cwas not primarily providing or supporting expertise relating to legal advice; instead, it appears that the investigative firm\u2019s primary, if not sole, function was to generate opposition research materials that the firm then shared widely.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Durham noted that Fusion claims were pushed to the media, State Department, Justice Department, Congress, and elsewhere, and \u201cthese efforts resulted in numerous media articles\u201d before and after the 2016 election. Fusion also drafted one of the \u201cwhite papers\u201d Sussmann gave Baker, according to the special counsel. <\/p>\n<p>Sussmann last month accused Durham of \u201cmounting a last-minute frontal assault on third-party assertions of attorney-client privilege and work product protection that affect what could be the production of thousands of documents, the testimony of numerous witnesses, and, most importantly, Mr. Sussmann\u2019s fundamental defense strategy.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Perkins said it withheld documents &#8220;as protected by the attorney-client privilege and work product privilege claims&#8221; asserted by the DNC, Clinton campaign, and Joffe. <\/p>\n<p>Hillary for America said it was \u201casserting attorney-client privilege and work protection&#8221; related to Perkins and Fusion. <\/p>\n<p>Elias included a redacted declaration claiming that \u201cFusion\u2019s role was to provide consulting services\u201d that Perkins was giving related to defamation and libel laws. \u201cI provided Fusion direction on the research and information I thought would help me perform my job. &#8230; On some occasions, Fusion\u2019s work was distilled and incorporated into my judgments about legal issues, while in other instances, I shared the results of Fusion\u2019s work with my clients,&#8221; he said. <\/p>\n<p>Fusion co-founders Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch <u><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/christopher-steele-mistook-manafort-tailor-for-money-laundering-ice-cream-shop\">wrote<\/a><\/u> in their 2019 book that they met with Elias on April 20, 2016, and Elias wanted &#8220;deep research on Trump.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Fritsch told Elias, \u201cWe think you guys will really want to pay attention to the Russia angle.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis angle was all new to Elias, and he loved it,\u201d Fusion said, adding, &#8220;Fusion\u2019s research team would soon be hired and given wide latitude.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Fusion wrote, \u201cElias said Fusion would be reporting only to him&#8221; because &#8220;if Fusion\u2019s communications were with a lawyer, they could be considered privileged and kept confidential.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The special counsel said the \u201cprimary purpose\u201d of Fusion\u2019s work related to the Steele dossier and Alfa-Bank claims \u201cwas to assemble and publicize allegations that would aid the campaign\u2019s public relations goals.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Fusion argued that it \u201cwas operating as an investigative researcher to help Elias provide legal advice,&#8221; not as opposition research. <\/p>\n<p><b><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/b> <\/p>\n<p>Durham said Joffe tasked employees and associates with mining and assembling internet data that would support an \u201cinference\u201d or \u201cnarrative\u201d tying Trump to Russia. The tech executive&#8217;s motive was demonstrated in emails that said the goal was to please \u201cVIPs\u201d \u2014 apparently referring to Sussmann, Elias, and the Clinton campaign. <\/p>\n<p>The FBI, CIA, special counsel Robert Mueller, a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee investigation, and Durham\u2019s team have all <u><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/cia-has-known-trump-russia-collusion-data-not-technically-plausible-since-2017-durham-says\">cast doubt on<\/a><\/u> or shot down the Alfa-Bank claims. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Special counsel John Durham is ramping up his efforts to get a judge to review documents shielded by attorney-client privilege claims from Hillary Clinton&#8217;s 2016 campaign and the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":498,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1461195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1461195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/498"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1461195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1461195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1461195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1461195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1461195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}