Durham Filed a One-Count Information. The Charge Was § 1001(a)(3).

DOCUMENTED

John H. Durham, 26 March 2018. U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Connecticut. U.S. government work.

On August 14, 2020, the United States filed a one-count Information in the District of Columbia charging Kevin Clinesmith with making a false statement, 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(3). The case is United States v. Clinesmith, No. 1:20-cr-00165, assigned to Judge James E. Boasberg. The accompanying plea-agreement letter in the RECAP file is signed by Special Attorney John H. Durham. Estimated guidelines in that letter: 0–6 months.

John Solomon at Just the News reported the Information and the expected plea the same day. Daily Wire, Daily Signal, Breitbart, and National Review Corner did too. Just the News also published a piece titled that Durham, in bringing the first Russiagate charge, “hints at other crimes.” That hint is the outlet’s commentary unless later charging documents name those crimes. They are not in this Information.

The charge is the writing. It is not a conspiracy count. It is not a standalone FISA-fraud statute.

Sources

CourtListener docket, United States v. Clinesmith, 1:20-cr-00165 (D.D.C.). courtlistener.com

Plea agreement letter (RECAP), Aug. 14, 2020. courtlistener.com PDF

John Solomon, Just the News, Aug. 14, 2020. justthenews.com (reporting)

Just the News, “In bringing first Russiagate charge, Durham hints at other crimes.” justthenews.com (commentary)

Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review Corner, Aug. 14, 2020. nationalreview.com (commentary)

Daily Signal, Aug. 14, 2020. dailysignal.com (reporting)

New York Post, Aug. 14, 2020. nypost.com (reporting)

Opinion

The following is commentary by this site. It is not a finding of fact and not a legal conclusion.

Compiler take

First charge out of Durham. One count. A false writing. They could have charged more and they did not — on this paper. That is not proof nobody else did anything. It is proof this is what they put in front of a judge.