Judge drops 1 of 5 charges against Trump-Russia dossier source, in blow to special counsel Durham - CNN

CNN  — 

The justice dropped 1 of the five charges against Igor Danchenko, specifically pertaining to the allegation that helium lied to the FBI astir speaking with a Democratic operative astir the anti-Trump dossier.

District Judge Anthony Trenga said successful tribunal Friday that Danchenko’s reply to the FBI interviewer “was virtually true” and that Durham’s lawsuit connected that circumstantial complaint was excessively anemic to nonstop to the jury. This is simply a large triumph for Danchenko, who has maintained that helium told the information to the FBI agents who were trying to corroborate the dossier successful 2017.

The ruling was a stroke to Durham, who has personally handled galore of the arguments and witnesser questioning passim the trial. He personally pushed Trenga to uphold the complaint connected Friday earlier the judge’s ruling.

Danchenko inactive faces 4 further counts of lying to the FBI, which is simply a felony. Those remaining counts pertain to Danchenko’s alleged mendacious statements astir whether helium got a telephone telephone successful July 2016 from a Belarusian-American businessman who had been successful interaction with radical successful Donald Trump’s orbit.

The proceedings volition proceed connected Monday with closing statements and assemblage deliberations.

This is simply a breaking communicative and volition beryllium updated.