Jury Acquittal of Trump-Russia Dossier Source Spoils Special Counsel’s Investigation
Igor Danchenko leaves the Albert V. Bryan United States Courthouse in Alexandria, Va on Nov. 4, 2021. On Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, a judge tossed out one of five counts against Danchenko related to the dossier. Source: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP Newsroom
On Tuesday, Oct. 18, Russian analyst Igor Danchenko, a primary source within the Trump-Russia dossier, was acquitted on four counts of lying to the FBI about his sources by a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.
The verdict is another defeat for special counsel John Durham who, after three and a half years of investigating to find misconduct in the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe, failed to indict two of the three cases he brought for trial. The only guilty verdict for a government employee resulted in a mere probation sentence.
Durham and prosecutors alleged that Danchenko deceived FBI officials about his sources after the agency found that Danchenko was the unnamed researcher who provided the most inflammatory allegations about Trump. The reports referred to as the “Steele Dossier” were compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele who was hired by a law firm funded by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.
Buzzfeed News first leaked the dossier in 2017, which contained allegations that former President Donald Trump and his campaign had ties to Russia and used Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential Election to help him win.
According to Danchenko’s own claims, he was responsible for the majority of the information in the dossier and around half of its analysis. Testimony within the trial indicates that Danchenko was confused and upset by how the material in the report was displayed as authentic by Steele rather than what Danchenko considered conjecture.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, PA. on Sept. 3, 2022. Trump predicted that the special counsel will expose “the crime of the century” proving a conspiracy to tank his 2016 campaign. Source: Mary Altaffer / AP Newsroom
When the dossier went public, Trump declared it “fake news” and cited the allegations as a political witch hunt geared to delegitimize his election. Later in 2019, former Attorney General William Barr appointed Durham to review the FBI’s investigation of Trump’s campaign. Trump determined that Durham would expose “the crime of the century” by proving the political attacks against his campaign. However, Danchenko’s acquittal was likely the last chance for prosecution within the special counsel’s investigation which fizzled out from no serious convictions.
“While we are disappointed in the outcome, we respect the jury’s decision and thank them for their service,” Durham announced in a statement released by the Justice Department after the verdict. “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.” Durham maintains that FBI officials were misguided by the defendants rather than purposely acting dishonestly towards Trump’s campaign.
With Durham likely to close his investigation, he will be required to write up a report summarizing all his findings. Whether or not his report is released to the public is directed by current Attorney General Merrick Garland. According to Justice Department records, Durham’s review of the FBI investigation on the Trump campaign cost taxpayers more than $5.8 million including the personnel, supplies, and other expenses spent by the special counsel between Oct. 2020 and March 2022.
As Trump continues to face growing legal challenges including his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot and the FBI raid on his Mar-o-Lago Home for holding classified files, Dancheko’s acquittal provides little support to the Trump campaign’s insistence on corruption.