Posted on 05/19/2022 5:09:09 AM PDT by janetjanet998
SarahNLynch of Reuters is live tweeting
James Baker will be back on the stand
sounds like ol’ twit has taken the gloves off and aren’t going to pretend anymore (because of Elon’s purchase) that they are fair and pro free speech. They issued a tweet today saying they ARE throttling tweets again.
I think the Elon purchase is wholly dead.
Andrew Goudsward
@AGoudsward
With that Baker’s direct is over. Sussmann lawyer Sean Berkowitz up now for cross-examination. Starts by mentioning that Baker was previously under investigation by Durham for possibly leaking classified information.
Andrew Goudsward
@AGoudsward
Berkowitz gets Baker to agree that he has no “personal knowledge” about whether Sussmann was or wasn’t representing client in 2016 meeting
Andrew Goudsward
@AGoudsward
Baker concedes that at time of 2016 meeting, he knew Sussmann had represented the DNC and Clinton campaign in response to Russian hack. He has previously said he couldn’t recall if he knew that at time.
“I felt stupid for not having found that material before,” Baker says about finding text in March of this year from Sussmann setting up 2016 meeting.
Andrew Goudsward
@AGoudsward
Berkowitz now showing Baker notes from a DOJ official from a March 2017 briefing about the status of Russia investigation. Official noted that Alfa Bank allegations came to FBI from a lawyer on behalf of client.
Baker says he doesn’t remember that being said in meeting. Has only vague recollection of the meeting taking place.
Baker says it wasn’t until Durham’s investigators began “homing in” on meeting with Sussmann in June 2020 that he thought in detail about what Sussmann said about not having a client.
Andrew Goudsward
@AGoudsward
Berkowitz is showing Baker testimony in which he recapped meeting with Sussmann and mentioned that Sussmann had “some number of people that were his clients.”
Baker now says that testimony was inaccurate and was “shorthand way” of describing people Sussmann was working with.
John Haughey
@JFHaughey58
Berkowitz going through February 2020 Baker interview with Durham, DeFilippis in which he said Sussmann had called him the night before their Sept. 19, 2016 meeting and said “it did not seem like” Sussmann was representing clients.
Baker says questions from Durham in 2020 and looking at notes from FBI counterintelligence head Bill Priestap “triggered” his memory of 2016 meeting.
“My memory on this point, sitting here today, is clear,” he says.
And with that, we wrap for today. Cross-examination will continue tomorrow.
Robert Gouveia Esq.now live going over todays transcripts
Sussmann Trial Day 4: Jim Baker and Marc Elias Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGAHnHJhJtE
day 5 about to begin
A reminder that Sussman, under oath to Congressional investigators, said he was indeed working on behalf of a client for the FBI meeting for Baker meeting
not sure if the Jury will see that
Andrew Goudsward
@AGoudsward
·
7m
Replying to
@AGoudsward
Baker back on the stand and Sussmann lawyer Sean Berkowitz continuing to hammer the memory theme. Points out that Baker previously said the meeting lasted only 15-20 minutes and couldn’t recall whether follow up meeting with Bill Priestap was over phone or in person.
Andrew Goudsward
@AGoudsward
Berkowitz now questioning Baker about interactions with NYT and prompts Baker to acknowledge that Sussmann knew FBI was investigating Alfa Bank and that fact didn’t leak to press.
Andrew Goudsward
@AGoudsward
Baker acknowledges that he didn’t know if Sussmann was representing cyber researchers in giving Alfa Bank allegations to NYT. He says either Sussmann said or he surmised that researchers were “very concerned” about what they found and wanted to go to FBI and press.
Andrew Goudsward
@AGoudsward
Berkowitz: Did you say to him we need to assess who these cyber experts are in order to determine the reliability of the information?
Baker: Right now, I don’t remember saying that.
Andrew Goudsward
@AGoudsward
Berkowitz asks Baker if he would have passed info along to others in FBI about national security threat no matter who clients were.
Baker says he may not have handled info in same way if he had info about clients.
Adam Goldman
@adamgoldmanNYT
Berkowitz produces an exhibit (electronic FBI cable dated 9/23/16) that shows opening of full investigation into Alfa Bank info. The document shows the DOJ made referral after “DOJ provided the FBI with a whitepaper that was produced by an anonymous third party.”
Andrew Goudsward
@AGoudsward
Baker acknowledges that the FBI would have wanted a “heads up” if there was a major national security concern and the press was about to report on that issue.
Sussmann’s defense has said this is why he asked for meeting with Baker.
Cross-examination is over. Prosecutor Andrew DeFilippis back up for redirect.
Adam Goldman
@adamgoldmanNYT
·
2m
Prosecutor Andrew DeFilippis asks Baker if he had learned that if somebody who drafted those white papers had been billing the campaign would that have mattered? Baker says absolutely.
Adam Goldman
@adamgoldmanNYT
Baker would have been concerned about whether FBI was getting played and made sure the FBI slowed down. “I would have changed my assessment and reliability of the information.”
Adam Goldman
@adamgoldmanNYT
·
20s
Baker says that Sussmann never told him that GPS Fusion drafted one of the white papers. “I would have had serious conversations with senior leadership about what if anything to do with the material,” Baker said.
Baker is done. The judge has dismissed him.
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