Steele Dossier Source Acquitted of Lying to the FBI
Summary from the AllSides News Team
A consultant who was the primary source for the "Steele dossier" of unfounded allegations against former President Donald Trump was acquitted Tuesday of lying to the FBI.
Key Quotes: Special counsel John Durham said that "While we are disappointed in the outcome, we respect the jury’s decision and thank them for their service." Danchenko's lawyer said during Monday's closing arguments that the government "is just trying to stretch the facts to make something out of nothing."
For Context: The consultant, Igor Danchenko, was arrested last November and charged with five counts of lying to the FBI. In May, a jury acquitted Clinton-linked attorney Michael Sussmann of lying to the FBI in the first trial to result from Durham's investigation. Durham was appointed in 2019 by then-Attorney General William Barr to probe the FBI's investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 election, and the Danchenko trial is expected to be the final leg of the investigation.
How the Media Covered It: Though right-rated media have focused much more on Durham's investigations overall, Danchenko's acquittal was a top story from left- and center-rated sources Tuesday afternoon. Media on all sides had framed the Danchenko trial as a chance at redemption for Durham's probes after the Sussmann acquittal. CNN called the result "embarrassing" for Durham. National Review concentrated more on what Danchenko was accused of and described the dossier as "now-discredited."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
Main Trump-Russia Dossier Source Acquitted of Lying to FBI
Igor Danchenko, a primary contributor to the Trump-Russia dossier, has been acquitted of lying to the FBI regarding his sources for some claims in the document.
After nearly ten hours of deliberation, the jury declared the source, an analyst who compiled the bulk of the dossier drafted by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele and which alleged collusion between former president Trump’s 2016 campaign and Moscow, not guilty on all charges. Danchenko was accused of having made false statements regarding the sources of some information that he provided to a U.K. investigative...
From the Center
Igor Danchenko Acquitted of Lying to FBI About Trump-Russia Dossier
Igor Danchenko, a consultant whose information comprised the bulk of the 2016 “Steele dossier,” was acquitted Tuesday of lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, leaving special counsel John Durham with losses in both cases he took to trial as his yearslong inquiry into the FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election winds down.
Over four days in federal court outside Washington, D.C., Mr. Durham sought to portray Mr. Danchenko as fabricating one of his own sources and concealing another one when the FBI questioned him in 2017 about where he obtained the allegations he provided...
From the Left
Primary source for Trump-Russia dossier acquitted, handing special counsel Durham another trial loss
Igor Danchenko, the primary source for the infamous Trump-Russia dossier, was acquitted Tuesday of four counts of lying to the FBI in an embarrassing defeat for special counsel John Durham.
Durham has taken two cases to trial, and both have ended in acquittals. After more than three years looking for misconduct in the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe, Durham has only secured one conviction: the guilty plea of a low-level FBI lawyer, who got probation.
The jury returned not guilty verdicts on all charges against Danchenko, a Russian expat and think tank analyst...
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