The first charges against a Democrat coming from the Mueller investigation were handed down to Obama official, Greg Craig. He is charged with lying to the Mueller investigators and also that he tried to hide his lobbying efforts for Ukraine.
He worked as a foreign agent without registering just like Paul Manafort. Craig’s lawyers claim it’s federal overreach because the SDNY did not charge Craig with those same crimes. But the Southern District of New York doesn’t charge Democrats, so that came as no surprise. Consider the fact that 4 others from the Mueller probe were charged with lying to the FBI, that seems like a nonsense argument.
According to Mr. Craig’s legal team, Craig refused to accept a plea deal so the case was handed over to a grand jury for indictment, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Greg Craig was interviewed twice by Mueller’s investigators about work he and his law firm did in Ukraine in 2012.
Craig’s lawyers said the case against him was conducted by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. The indictment came down from the Justice Department in DC so Craig’s lawyers alleged federal prosecutors are abusing their power.
“This case was thoroughly investigated by the SDNY and that office decided not to pursue charges against Mr. Craig. We expect an indictment by the DC US Attorney’s Office at the request of the National Security Division. Mr. Craig is not guilty of any charge and the government’s stubborn insistence on prosecuting Mr. Craig is a misguided abuse of prosecutorial discretion,” Craig’s lawyers said in a statement Wednesday.
Craig was a partner in the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, which entered into a multi-million dollar settlement with the DOJ over its work in Ukraine.
Greg Craig worked with Paul Manafort in Ukraine — Craig is the first top Dem charged in a case stemming from Mueller’s witch hunt.