WASHINGTON — The protection group for Michael Sussmann, a lawyer with ties to Hillary Clinton’s presidential marketing campaign, has dropped its plans to name a former New York Instances reporter to testify in a trial that facilities on Mr. Sussmann’s motives in assembly with the F.B.I. in 2016.
Testimony within the case has underlined the position the information media performed in the course of the bare-knuckle combat between Mrs. Clinton and Donald J. Trump within the 2016 presidential election, significantly as suspicions about Mr. Trump’s potential ties to Russia grew.
Mr. Sussmann’s legal professionals had argued that the previous Instances reporter, Eric Lichtblau, ought to testify about his communications with Mr. Sussmann over odd web information that cybersecurity researchers mentioned could possibly be covert communications between the Trump Group and Alfa Financial institution, a Kremlin-affiliated financial institution.
A particular counsel, John H. Durham, has accused Mr. Sussmann of mendacity to the F.B.I. about his cause for assembly with a high bureau official on the time, James Baker, to convey that data, by saying he was not there on behalf of any consumer. Prosecutors contend he was in actual fact representing the Clinton marketing campaign and a expertise govt who labored with the researchers.
Protection legal professionals have argued that Mr. Sussmann represented the marketing campaign in efforts to get reporters to write down articles concerning the Alfa Financial institution suspicions, however not when he approached the F.B.I. concerning the information and his perception {that a} information article about it might quickly be printed.
In his testimony final week, Mr. Baker mentioned that the prospect of an imminent article led him to concern that the F.B.I. wouldn’t have time to research the opportunity of a secret channel earlier than the members learn the information and shut it down. However per week later, when he requested Mr. Lichtblau to delay, he mentioned the reporter indicated that an article was not but able to publish.
The Instances printed an article that talked about the Alfa Financial institution matter about six weeks later, nevertheless it mentioned the F.B.I. “finally concluded that there could possibly be an innocuous rationalization.”
Prosecutors have insinuated that Mr. Sussmann sought to immediate an F.B.I. investigation so reporters would write articles about it, whereas protection legal professionals have argued that he went to the bureau solely when he believed an article was imminent.
“The protection’s idea is that the story was going to come back out, or was more likely to come out, or was near popping out; and Mr. Sussmann wished to provide a heads-up,” Sean Berkowitz, Mr. Sussmann’s lawyer, instructed the courtroom on Monday.
Mr. Lichtblau’s testimony might have make clear what he instructed Mr. Sussmann relating to how quickly an article is perhaps printed earlier than he sought the F.B.I. assembly.
Mr. Lichtblau apparently consented to testify as a protection witness concerning the slender subject of his interactions with Mr. Sussmann. However a dispute arose over whether or not prosecutors might ask him about different sources throughout cross-examination.
Late Tuesday, Mr. Sussman’s protection group withdrew its subpoena for Mr. Lichtblau’s testimony with out stating a cause. A lawyer for Mr. Lichtblau declined to remark.
The Sussmann trial, which started on Could 16, is the primary case to be developed by Mr. Durham, a particular counsel appointed in the course of the Trump administration by Legal professional Normal William P. Barr to look at the origins of the F.B.I.’s investigation into ties between Mr. Trump and Russia.
However the Alfa Financial institution matter was tangential to the official investigation. Trial testimony has proven that F.B.I. brokers swiftly dismissed the suspicions as implausible.
Mr. Durham’s prosecutors have accused Mr. Sussmann of making an attempt to steer the F.B.I. to research Mr. Trump over his ties with Russia, to facilitate adverse protection about Mrs. Clinton’s rival and disseminate unsubstantiated claims earlier than the election.
On the trial on Wednesday, prosecutors wrapped up their case by introducing a stack of written paperwork, together with data from Mr. Sussmann’s regulation agency that confirmed he billed many hours on the Alfa Financial institution matter to the Clinton marketing campaign.
Protection legal professionals sought to boost doubts. They emphasised that Mr. Sussmann’s billing of a number of hours on obvious Alfa Financial institution issues the day of the F.B.I. assembly didn’t point out the F.B.I. or a gathering, as was his behavior for different such conferences. Additionally they identified that when he expensed taxis for the assembly, he charged them to the agency, not any consumer.
