BEEN REACHED.
DAVID SPUNT HAS MORE FOR US.
DAVID?
>> HI, NEIL.
IGOR DANCHENKO, THE RUSSIAN
NATIONAL ACCUSED OF BEING THE
SUBSOURCE FOR CHRISTOPHER STEELE
FOUND NOT GUILTY.
IGOR DANCHENKO NOT GUILTY IN A
COURT.
A JURY OF HIS PEERS, 12 JURORS
DECIDED THEY WOULD NOT PUT HIM
BEHIND BARS OR FIND HIM GUILTY
ON FOUR COUNTS OF LYING TO THE
FBI.
DANCHENKO WAS IN THE COURTROOM
AT THE TIME.
WE DON’T KNOW EXACTLY IF HE
BREATHED A SIGH OF RELIEF.
WE HAD TO GET THE NEWS OUT AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THIS IS PART OF JOHN DURHAM’S
INVESTIGATION, THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL APPOINTED BY ATTORNEY
GENERAL BILL BARR TO LOOK AT THE
ORIGINS OF THE NARRATIVE THAT
PINNED DONALD TRUMP TO RUSSIA
BACK IN 2016 OR 2017.
WE COVERED EFFORTS BY THE FBI
AND OTHERS TO INVESTIGATE TRUMP.
THAT WAS KIND OF THE PURPOSE OF
THE ENTIRE MUELLER REPORT.
SO JOHN DURHAM WAS TASKED WITH
LOOKING AT THE ORIGINS OF THE
RUSSIA NARRATIVE TO SEE WHERE IT
CAME FROM.
HE CHARGED A HILLARY CLINTON
CAMPAIGN ATTORNEY NAMED MICHAEL
SUSSMANN LAST YEAR.
HE WAS ON TRIAL ALSO FOR LYING
TO THE FBI.
HE WAS ACQUITTED IN MAY.
THIS IS JOHN DURHAM, THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL’S SECOND LOSS IN A COURT
OF LAW.
WE’VE BEEN TOLD THAT JOHN DURHAM
IS STILL GOING TO MOVE FORWARD
WITH A NARRATIVE, SOMETHING
WRITTEN, A REPORT, A FULL REPORT
FOR THE PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO
SEE, WEAVING THIS ENTIRE
NARRATIVE AND REALLY PUTTING A
BOW ON THIS MORE THAN THREE-YEAR
INVESTIGATION.
RIGHT NOW WE CAN TELL YOU IGOR
DANCHENKO FOUND NOT GUILTY ON
ALL FOUR COUNTS.
JURORS BEGAN DELIBERATING
YESTERDAY AT 2:00 P.M., WENT FOR
THREE HOURS, WENT ALL DAY TODAY.
WE WERE WONDERING WHAT WAS GOING
ON TODAY.
ABOUT 40 MINUTES AGO, THEY HAD A
QUESTION ABOUT A CONVERSATION
THAT TOOK PLACE WITH AN FBI
AGENT.
THEN ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER,
THEY CAME BACK AND SAID NOT
GUILTY ON ALL FOUR COUNTS.
>> Neil: A FIFTH COUNT WAS
DROPPED BY THE JUDGE EARLIER.
WHAT TOES THIS DO TO JOHN
DURHAM’S CASE GOING FORWARD?
>> YEAH, WE’LL HAVE TO SEE WHAT
HAPPENS.
WHAT WAS DROPPED WAS A
CONVERSATION THAT DANCHENKO
ALLEGEDLY HAD WITH A MAN NAMED
CHUCK DOLAN, A DEMOCRATIC
OPERATIVE.
THE SPECIAL COUNSEL SAID THAT
DANCHENKO SPOKE TO DOLAN AND
USED SOME OF THAT INFORMATION IN
THE STEELE DOSSIER, THE DOCUMENT
THAT WAS TRYING TO TAKE DOWN
DONALD TRUMP.
HOWEVER, DANCHENKO’S ATTORNEYS
AND THE JUDGE ULTIMATELY SAID
DOLAN AND DANCHENKO COMMUNICATED
VIA E-MAIL, SO THEY TECHNICALLY
DID NOT SPEAK.
SO THE JUDGE THREW OUT THAT ONE
CHARGE ON A TECHNICALITY.
WHAT HAPPENED TODAY, NEIL, WAS
FOUR DIFFERENT COUNTS DEALING
WITH DANCHENKO TALKING TO AN FBI
AGENT NAMED KEVIN HELSON AND
REPEATING A STORY ABOUT SPEAKING
TO WHO HE BELIEVED WAS A RUSSIAN
THAT MAY HAVE BEEN GIVING SOME
DIRT ON DONALD TRUMP.
DURHAM SAID THAT NEVER HAPPENED.
HE SAID THAT DANCHENKO LIED TO
THIS FBI AGENT FOUR TIMES.
DANCHENKO’S ATTORNEYS SAID YOU
CAN’T PROVE IT.
IT DIDN’T HAPPEN.
WHILE IT MAY NOT BE IN PHONE
RECORDS, THERE’S WHAT’S APP,
SIGNAL, OTHER ENCRYPTED SERVICES
THAT PEOPLE USE TO COMMUNICATE.
ULTIMATELY IT APPEARS THE JURY
BELIEVED WHAT THE DEFENSE TEAM
HAD TO SAY.
THE DEFENSE TEAM DID NOT EVEN
PUT ON A DEFENSE.
THEY DIDN’T CALL DANCHENKO.
SO WHEN DURHAM AND THE
GOVERNMENT WAS DONE FRIDAY,
DANCHENKO’S TEAM SAID WE’RE
DONE, TOO.
>> Neil: YOU HAVE TO WONDER IF
THIS IS DURHAM’S SWAN SONG.
THERE WAS GREAT EXPECTATION
HERE.
IT’S JUST FIZZLED.
>> YOU KNOW, WE DON’T KNOW IF
JOHN DURHAM WILL CHARGE ANYONE
ELSE.
LEGAL EXPERTS HAVE SAY IT’S
UNLIKELY BECAUSE YOU LOOK AT THE
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT STUFF THAT
HAPPENED IN 2016, 2017.
WE’RE AT SIX YEARS NOW FROM
2016.
IN MANY CASES, THE STATUTE OF
LIMITATIONS HAS EXPIRED.
SO THERE’S NOT A CLEAR PATH TO
SEE IF HE’S GOING TO CHARGE
SOMEBODY ELSE.
BUT IF NOT AND WE HAVE KNOWN
THIS ALL ALONG THAT JOHN DURHAM
IS SOMEONE THAT IS VERY CAREFUL,
THAT IS VERY CALCULATED, THAT
PAY AS TENSION TO DETAIL AND
SOMEONE THAT TAKES HIS TIME.
I THINK FROM A 3 1/2 YEAR
INVESTIGATION, WE KNOW THAT
THIS, WHAT HAPPENED TODAY, MAY
NOT BE HIS FINAL ACT.
IT MAY BE HIS FINAL ACT IN A
COURTROOM, HOWEVER WE DO EXPECT
SOME SORT OF NARRATIVE TO COME
OUT, A FINAL DURHAM REPORT JUST
LIKE WE SAW THE MUELLER REPORT.
BY THE WAY, EVEN THOUGH JOHN
DURHAM IS A SPECIAL COUNSEL, HE
STILL FALLS UNDER THE DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE.
MERRICK GARLAND, THE A.G., LAST
BEEN HANDS OFF ALLOWING DURHAM
TO DO HIS THING.
HE DOESN’T WANT TO GET IN THE
WAY.
HE SAID I RENEWED DURHAM’S
BUDGET, I LET HIM DO HIS THING.
WHILE WE DON’T 100% KNOW IF
MERRICK GARLAND WILL GIVE THE
SIGN OFF ON JOHN DURHAM TO
RELEASE HIS REPORT.
I SUSPECT THAT HE WILL GIVE THAT
SIGN-OFF TO ALLOW THAT DURHAM
REPORT TO BE RELEASED.
JUST GETTING SOME INFORMATION
FROM JAY GIBSON.
HE SAID IGOR DANCHENKO HUGGED
HIS WIFE WHO WAS IN TEARS AND
AGAIN, NOT GUILTY ON ALL FOUR
COUNTS.
>> Neil: I’M WONDERING IN THE
CASE OF MERRICK GARLAND BUT NOT
INTRUDING IN THE CASE, HE’S
LETTING NOT THAT DURHAM IS
INPLEADING -- IMPLODING BUT THE
WHOLE CAUGHT MY BE IMPLODING.
>> IT’S HARD TO TELL.
THERE WAS A LOT THAT JOHN DURHAM
WANTED TO BRING IN TO THE TRIAL
THAT THE JUDGE WOULD NOT LET HIM
BRING IN FOR EVIDENCE REASONS
AND OTHER REASONS.
SO I THINK JOHN DURHAM, IF YOU’D
ASK HIM -- I WISH WE COULD ASK
HIM AND DO AN INTERVIEW WITH US.
HE PROBABLY WON’T DO AN
INTERVIEW.
I WISH WE COULD ASK AND SEE IF
HE DIDN’T GET A FAIR SHAKE FROM
THE BEGINNING AND DO THINGS
DIFFERENTLY.
I WOULD LOVE TO SIT DOWN AND
HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY WITH HIM.
WE HAVE THE MICROPHONES HERE.
I SUSPECT WE’LL HEAR FROM
DANCHENKO’S TEAM.
WE’LL TRY TO REACH OUT TO DURHAM
AND HIS TEAM.
WE’LL PROBABLY GET A STATEMENT.
WHICH IS NORMAL.