#SpecialCounselDurham
Laura Seago (Fusion GPS) testimony
-Started working for Fusion in July 2015
-reported to Fusion parters
-around 8 people worked for Fusion at the time
Seago says Fusion worked for "anti-Trump republicans" in fall 2015 and early 2016, then changed to Democrats.
Seago says in summer/fall 2016, Fusion client was the Democrats. Primary client contact Marc Elias of Perkins Coie.
Seago met Sussmann in summer 2016
Seago: Summer 2016 meeting was attended by Elias, Fritsch, Sussmann, Joffe and her "to discuss allegations of communications between the Trump organization and Alfa-Bank."
Seago exchanged emails with Joffe after the summer 2016 meeting about Trump and Alfa Bank
Seago became aware of the Trump-Alfa Bank allegations at the summer 2016 meeting with Elias, Sussmann, Joffe and Fritsch
Seago started working on Trump-Alfa following the Fusion--Perkins Coie--Joffe meeting in summer 2016
Seago refuses to answer what her emails with Joffe were about but they clearly were about Trump-Alfa Bank
Fusion (employed by Hillary through Perkins Coie cut out) fed Trump stories to the media
Seago (Fusion GPS) went with Fritsch (Fusion founder) and Berkowitz to reporter Frank Foer's home in Sept 2016 regarding Trump-Alfabank story.
Shows what an important story it was for them to send such a big crew.
Fusion crew discussed the "highly-credible scientists" who stood up the Alfa allegation.
Notably silent on the DNC involvement.
Seago (Fusion) admits that the purpose of the meeting at Foer (Slate) home is to get him to publish the Trump-Alfa article.
Foer did so one week before the election.
Seago admits that Fusion did next to nothing to verify the Alfa Bank claims.
Seago said that Fusion didn't try to find out where Alfa Bank DNS data came from
Seago (Fusion) testified that she communicated with Joffe following the summer meeting with him, Elias, Sussmann and Fritsch.
Seago was shown headings of her numerous emails with Joffe, did not deny they were about Trump-Alfa bank
The emails between Fusion's Seago and Joffe are dated end of August 2016. Some include Sussmann.
Seago was shown emails with Fusion GPS founders confirming that they were working on Trump-Alfa secret communications channel allegation weeks prior to presidential election
A week before presidential election, Fusion GPS analysts and founders were managing the Trump-Alfa story that they fed to the media, dampening down any criticism of it.
Following publication of the Trump-Alfa Bank secret communications channel story by Franklin Foer of the Slate, Hillary highlighted the story
Having fed the article, and after the Hillary campaign used it as its "October Surprise", Fusion are working overtime to prop the story up
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#SpecialCounselDurham
Opening Statement
"The evidence will show that this is a case about privilege: the privilege of a well-connected D.C. lawyer with access to the highest levels of the FBI; the privilege of a lawyer who thought that he could lie to the FBI without consequences
...the privilege of a lawyer who thought that for the powerful the normal rules didn't apply, that he could use the FBI as a political tool.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, on September 19, 2016, the defendant, Michael Sussmann, a high-powered D.C. lawyer, went to the FBI...
...bringing serious allegations about a presidential candidate on the eve of the election, serious allegations about secret communications with a foreign adversary. But when the defendant walked into FBI headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue, the evidence will show that he bypassed
#SussmannTrial#SpecialCounselDurham
Upcoming today: former FBI General Counsel Jim Baker.
His testimony began late yesterday, describing his relationship with Sussmann
Sussmann used to work for the DOJ, and Baker considered him an expert in cyber security and someone he trusted
Baker said that he learned some time in 2016 that Sussmann was representing the DNC on cyber issues.
But Baker did not know Sussmann was representing DNC/Hillary on political issues.
Baker was shown the text message Sussmann sent him setting up the meeting.
This goes directly to the criminal charge of lying to the FBI.
As you are watching the Sussmann trial, remember that Hillary's people concealed that they hired Fusion and Steele. It took legal action for Perkins Coie to admit this in October 2017, by which point the damage was done. #SpecialCounselDurham
October 2017 -- WashPo is forced to report that Hillary paid for the Steele dossier and services of the dirty tricks outfit Fusion GPS
Oct'17: revelation that Perkins Coie (Marc Elias) hired Fusion.
Fusion hired Chris Steele.
Elias gave evidence yesterday in the first Russiagate criminal trial.
Steele refused to appear, but judge allowed his communications with Sussmann and Fusion to be admitted into evidence.
The government’s opening statement:
Sussmann’s case is “about privilege: the privilege of a well-connected D.C. lawyer with access to the highest levels of the FBI; the privilege of a lawyer who thought that he could lie to the FBI without consequences.”
Government: “Sussmann
went straight to the FBI general counsel's office, the FBI's top lawyer. He then sat across from that lawyer and lied to him. He told a lie that was designed to achieve a political end, a lie that was designed to inject the FBI into a presidential election”
Government: “we are here because the FBI is our institution that should not be used as a political tool for anyone.”
New filing in Sussmann case.
Government witness Special Agent David Martin is expected to testify “concerning the nature and types of conclusions that can – and cannot – be drawn about persons’ or entities online activities based on a review of DNS data”.
“We expect Agent Martin to state, in substance and in part, and among other things:
• The mere existence of a DNS lookup does not in and of itself reflect or prove the existence of actual communications between IP addresses (such as emails).”
“The mere existence of a DNS lookup also does not in and of itself reflect or prove the existence of an actual connection or exchange of substantive information between computers (e.g., web browsing or file transfers).”