On Thursday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a federal grand jury indicted attorney Michael Sussmann in a charge that he had lied to the FBI about a client. The indictment was expected, after a report from The New York Times revealed it was coming as part of the Durham investigation.
Breaking News: A Justice Dept. special counsel scrutinizing the Russia investigation secured an indictment against Michael Sussmann, a lawyer at a firm with Democratic ties.https://t.co/oPykMzSNbX
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 16, 2021
The New York Times reported about the announcement on Thursday, in a piece from Charlie Savage.
Catherine Herridge of CBS News shared details as well and provided a link to the 27 page indictment which was signed by Durham.
communications channel between the Trump Organization + a Russia-based bank. Sussmann, who had previously represented the DNC in connection with a cyber hack, falsely stated to the GC that he was not bringing these allegations to the FBI on behalf of any client.”
— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) September 16, 2021
Wednesday's report noted that the statute of limitations means Durham had until this weekend to bring charges. However, there is still much that is unclear.
As Savage reported:
It remains unclear whether Mr. Durham is drafting some kind of lengthy report intended for public consumption, akin to the one Mr. Mueller produced. Out of office, Mr. Trump has repeatedly issued statements fuming, “Where’s Durham?”
The current attorney general, Merrick B. Garland, said at his confirmation hearing in February that he would let Mr. Durham continue to work, but was noncommittal about the details, including how he would handle any final report if Mr. Durham submitted one.
Funding for most Justice Department operations, like much of the federal government, is controlled by an annual budget that covers a fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1 and ends on Sept. 30.
Spokesmen for Mr. Garland and Mr. Durham have declined to comment in response to questions about whether Mr. Durham’s office has funding approval to continue operating after Sept. 30.