美国国家公共电台 NPR--Trump-era special counsel faces first real test as Washington attorney goes on trial

Trump¹-era special counsel faces first real test as Washington attorney goes on trial

Transcript²

A Washington attorney with ties to the Democratic party goes on trial Monday for allegedly lying to the FBI weeks ahead of the 2016 election, in the first case from Trump-era special counsel John Durham to be heard by a jury.

Michael Sussmann faces a single count of making false statements to the FBI in a September 2016 meeting with the bureau's general counsel about potential ties between a Kremlin-tied bank and a computer server at the Trump Organization.

Tapped in 2019 by Trump Attorney General William Barr to examine the genesis of the FBI's Russia investigation⁵, Durham has only brought legal action against three people so far. Sussmann's prosecution⁶ is the first to go trial, and it will serve as the special counsel's first test before a jury.

The case is rooted in the one-on-one meeting Sussmann had on Sept. 19, 2016 with then-FBI general counsel Jim Baker⁷. When they met, Sussmann shared information gleaned⁸ from internet data about possible ties between Russia's Alfa Bank and a computer server at Trump's company.

According to the indictment⁹, Sussmann told Baker that he wasn't passing the material along at the behest of any client. But prosecutors¹⁰ say that was a lie, and that Sussmann was in fact acting¹¹ on behalf of a tech executive, Rodney Joffe, as well as Hilary Clinton's presidential campaign.

Durham's team says that alleged³ lie mattered because it misled the FBI about the political nature of Sussmann's work. The bureau would have treated the tip differently, prosecutors say, if it had known of his political affiliations¹², although the FBI did follow up on Sussmann's information and ultimately concluded there wasn't sufficient evidence of a secret communication channel.

In court, prosecutors have alleged that Sussmann was part of a "joint¹³ venture," something akin⁴ to a conspiracy¹⁴, with Joffe, the Clinton campaign and others to gather derogatory information about Trump, get the FBI to investigate it and then leak that information to the media.

Sussmann's attorneys, Sean Berkowitz and Michael Bosworth, have called the case "baseless and politically-inspired." They also point out that Durham hasn't charged a conspiracy case; he's only charged Sussmann with a single false statements count about whether he was acting on behalf of a client.

The trial, which opens Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C. with jury selection, is expected to last two weeks.

Durham's team says it plans to call several current and former FBI officials, including Jim Baker as well as Bill Priestap, who was the FBI's assistant director for counterintelligence in 2016.

Sussmann's attorneys, meanwhile, have said they will likely call former New York Times reporter Eric Lichtblau as well as Justice Department Inspector¹⁵ General Michael Horowitz, among others.

Lichtblau had conversations with Sussmann and Joffe about the internet data, while Horowitz received information from Sussmann, according to the defense¹⁶ team.

Durham's investigation has long been buffeted¹⁷ by the political winds of Washington. Trump and his allies have played up the probe, often suggesting it would dig up corruption¹⁸ and wrongdoing at the FBI that aimed to hamstring his administration.

Democrats¹⁹, in contrast, have accused Durham of conducting a politically motivated investigation and seeking to discredit²⁰ the original Russia investigation.

In addition to Sussmann, Durham's probe has brought criminal action against two other people. One was a former low-level FBI attorney who pleaded guilty to doctoring an email.

The other is Igor Danchenko, a primary source for the infamous²¹ Steele dossier about alleged ties between Trump and Russia. Danchenko was indicted²² last year on five counts of lying to the FBI. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial in the fall.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

4 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

5 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

6 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

7 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

8 gleaned   

v.一点点地收集（资料、事实）( glean的过去式和过去分词 )；（收割后）拾穗

参考例句：

• These figures have been gleaned from a number of studies. 这些数据是通过多次研究收集得来的。
• A valuable lesson may be gleaned from it by those who have eyes to see. 明眼人可从中记取宝贵的教训。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

10 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

11 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

12 affiliations   

n.联系( affiliation的名词复数 )；附属机构；亲和性；接纳

参考例句：

• She had affiliations of her own in every capital. 她原以为自己在欧洲各国首府都有熟人。 来自辞典例句
• The society has many affiliations throughout the country. 这个社团在全国有很多关系。 来自辞典例句

13 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

14 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

15 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

16 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

17 buffeted   

反复敲打( buffet的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续猛击； 打来打去； 推来搡去

参考例句：

• to be buffeted by the wind 被风吹得左右摇摆
• We were buffeted by the wind and the rain. 我们遭到风雨的袭击。

18 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

19 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 discredit   

vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑

参考例句：

• Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
• They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。

21 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

22 indicted   

控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The senator was indicted for murder. 那位参议员被控犯谋杀罪。
• He was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of murder. 他被大陪审团以两项谋杀罪名起诉。