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Doj orr and russian dossier10/3/2023 ![]() ![]() He also said they played a relatively small part in the overall surveillance process and the broader probe. “It has lasting effects on DOJ, the FBI, the FISC, the FISA process and trust and confidence United States citizens have in their government.The resulting harm is immeasurable.”Ĭlinesmith’s lawyer Justin Shur called his client’s actions “inexcusable,” but said they were “aberrations” in a life of dedicated public service. Attorney Anthony Scarpelli told the court. “The defendant’s criminal conduct tarnished and undermined the integrity of the program,” Assistant U.S. ![]() The maximum sentence on the false statement charge is five years in prison, although judges usually sentence in accord with federal guidelines that called for Clinesmith to serve between zero and six months in prison. Clinesmith’s lawyers asked that he not receive any prison time. Prosecutors argued that Clinesmith’s misconduct was so serious that he deserved between about three and six months in prison. Barr formally designated Durham as a special counsel last fall, in an apparent bid to complicate any attempt by a new administration to shut down Durham’s inquiry. “I see no reason to disagree with that conclusion,” said Boasberg, who took over last year as the chief judge of the secretive surveillance court but handled the sentencing Friday as part of his more routine duties as a federal district court judge in Washington.Ĭlinesmith pleaded guilty last August to a felony false statement charge in a plea deal with John Durham, the prosecutor then-Attorney General William Barr tapped in 2019 to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe. While Trump and his GOP allies have suggested that Clinesmith was engaged in a political vendetta against Trump, Boasberg noted that a Justice Department inspector general investigation failed to establish that political considerations played a role in Clinesmith’s actions or numerous other errors and omissions that impacted filings with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. “By altering the email, he was saving himself some work and taking an inappropriate shortcut.” ![]() Clinesmith likely believed that what he said about Mr. Prosecutors contested that claim, arguing that the FBI lawyer intended to mislead his colleague, but Boasberg sided with the defense on that point. Clinesmith insisted that he thought the statement was true at the time and only altered the message to save himself the hassle of procuring another email from the CIA. ![]()
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