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Michael Sussmann, a cybersecurity lawyer who represented the Clinton presidential campaign in 2016, outside the federal courthouse in Washington, Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Sussmann was acquitted of lying to the FBI in the run-up to the 2016 election. (AP)
No, the military didn’t arrest Michael Sussmann
If Your Time is short
- This claim is unfounded and originated on a site with a history of publishing false information.
On May 31, Michael Sussmann, a lawyer who worked for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, was found not guilty of lying to the FBI in 2016. The charge stemmed from an investigation by special counsel John Durham, who was appointed during the Trump administration to investigate the FBI’s probe of the former president’s ties to Russia.
But another narrative is unfolding online.
"U.S. military arrests Michael Sussmann," read text in a video posted on Facebook on June 8. It said that Sussmann had been arrested by JAG on charges of treason.
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
Featured Fact-check
This story originated on Real Raw News, a website that regularly publishes false information and describes itself as a satire site. The post cites a single anonymous source.
Spokespeople for Sussmann’s legal team and the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps told Reuters that the statements in the blog post are "false."
Such an arrest, especially considering the widespread coverage of Durham’s investigation and Sussmann’s acquittal, would be big news, but we found no such reports.
We rate claims Sussmann was arrested by the military Pants on Fire.
Our Sources
Facebook post, June 8, 2022
Blog post, June 6, 2022
The New York Times, Michael Sussmann Is Acquitted in Case Brought by Trump-Era Prosecutor, May 31, 2022
Politico, Pressure builds for Durham to ditch Russia probe, June 3, 2022
Reuters, Fact Check-False claims of arrest of ex-Clinton campaign lawyer in June 2022 stem from hoax website, June 9, 2022
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No, the military didn’t arrest Michael Sussmann
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