National Security Adviser Sullivan is 'foreign policy advisor' in former Clinton lawyer indictment: sources

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Andy McCarthy on the implications of John Durham's latest indictments

Former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy discusses the latest details in Special Counsel John Durham's investigation.

Jake Sullivan, President Biden's White House national security adviser, is the "foreign policy advisor" referred to in the indictment of former Hillary Clinton presidential campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann, according to two well-placed sources.

This is the closest Special Counsel John Durham's investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation has come to anyone directly associated with the Biden White House.

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Sussmann was indicted for allegedly lying to the FBI on Sept. 16, and has pleaded not guilty to one count of making a false statement to a federal agent. This case came out of Durham’s probe into the origins of the Russia investigation.

John H. Durham

Durham’s indictment alleges Sussmann told then-FBI General Counsel James Baker he was not doing work "for any client" when he requested and held a September 2016 meeting in which he provided evidence of a purported secret communications channel between then-candidate Donald Trump and Russia. 

In fact, he later billed the Clinton campaign for the meeting, according to Durham's indictment. The FBI also looked into the story about the alleged link between the Trump presidential campaign and the Russian bank, it turned out to be bogus.

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The Durham indictment lays out a scenario where an unnamed Clinton campaign lawyer, "exchanged emails with the Clinton Campaign’s campaign manager, communications director, and foreign policy advisor [Jake Sullivan] concerning the Russian Bank-1 allegations that Sussmann had recently shared," with an unnamed reporter.

File photo: A general view of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) building in Washington, U.S. May 9, 2017. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

There is no indication that Sullivan is a target of Durham’s investigation, only that he received information from a campaign lawyer.

Fox News has reached out to Sullivan’s office for comment. White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre referred Fox News to the Department of Justice and said the White House had no comment as of Tuesday. "I don't know anything about what you're you're just mentioning," Jean-Pierre said. "So I have to to talk to our team."

The Durham indictment also alleges that Sussmann was working on behalf of a tech industry executive, an American internet company and Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. 

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan calls on a reporter during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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Prosecutors say Sussmann's "lie" is important because it "misled the FBI General Counsel and other FBI personnel concerning the political nature of his work."

Another grand jury indictment was returned on Nov. 4 for Igor Danchenko, a Russian analyst who is accused of being the primary sub-source in the Steele dossier. He is charged with five counts of making false statements to the FBI and his next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday.

Fox News' Kelly Laco contributed to this report.