Former FBI lawyer pleads guilty to altering a document related to Russia probe

On August 19, a former FBI lawyer pleed guilty for changing a document related to secret surveillance of a former Trump campaign viser during Russian investigation. Kevin Clinesmith is first current or former official to be charged in a special Justice Department review of investigation into ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election campaign. Attorney General William Barr appointed John Durham, United States attorney in Connecticut, to scrutinize decisions me by officials during that probe.

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Kevin Clinesmith is found guilty for doctoring email that FBI relied on as it sought court approval to eavesdrop on former Trump campaign aide Carter P in 2017. According to media reports, punishment could be from zero to six months in prison and sentence will be declared by United States District Judge James Boasberg, who accepted Clinesmith’s plea. Sentencing was scheduled for December 10. Guilty Clinesmith resigned from FBI before an internal disciplinary process was completed.

What Charging documents say

Charging documents say Clinesmith altered an email he received in June 2017 from ar government ncy to say that P was “t a source” for that ncy, n forwarded it along to a colleague. document does t say which ncy, but P has publicly said that he h worked as a source for CIA. FBI relied on Clinesmith’s representation in email when it submitted its fourth and final application to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to secretly eavesdrop on P on suspicions that he was a potential Russian nt.

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Information about any relationship P may have h with ar government ncy would have been important to disclose to FISA court to extent it could have helped explain, or reframe in a less suspicious light, P’s interactions with Russians. Clinesmith mostly answered routine questions from judge with brief responses, but he did elaborate at one point to clarify nature of his conduct and to make clear that he believed information he h included in email was factually accurate at time he altered mess.

“At time, I believed information I was providing in email was accurate, but I am agreeing that information I inserted into email was t originally re and I inserted that information,” Clinesmith said.

(With inputs from ncy) (Im credit-AP)

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