With Clinton campaign-tied attorney Michael Sussmann having been acquitted for lying to the FBI, special counsel John Durham issued a statement thanking the jury for its service and his team for "seeking truth and justice."
"While we are disappointed in the outcome, we respect the jury's decision and thank them for their service," a statement attributable to Durham read Tuesday. "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."
Sussmann was indicted for one count of lying to the FBI for claiming to be acting on his own volition in meeting with the FBI to claim Trump campaign ties to Russia at the height of the 2016 presidential campaign in an effort to spur an investigation into then-candidate Donald Trump and his associates.
Despite former FBI lawyer Jim Baker testifying he was "100% confident" Sussmann was lying about not acting on behalf of candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign, Sussmann's lawyers ultimately won the case on the premise FBI agents independently and were widely aware Sussmann had ties to Clinton.
"Mr. Sussmann had DNC and [Hillary for America] tattooed on his forehead," attorney Sean Berkowitz said in his closing argument Friday.
"Opposition research is not illegal. If it were, the jails of Washington, D.C., would be teeming over."
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