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Former Obama Counsel Greg Craig Found Not Guilty of Lying to DoJ About Work on Ukraine's Behalf

© AP Photo / Pablo Martinez MonsivaisAttorney Greg Craig
Attorney Greg Craig  - Sputnik International
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Greg Craig, a former White House counsel during the Obama administration, was found not guilty on Wednesday of willfully hiding material facts from the Justice Department regarding activities on behalf of Ukraine.

Jury deliberations began early Wednesday after closing arguments were made following the more than two-week-long trial.

Craig was facing a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 had he been found guilty.

A two-count indictment against Craig was brought forth in early April 2019. Charges against the 74-year-old lawyer included false statement scheme and false and misleading statements. The charge of making false and misleading statements to the Justice Department's Foreign Agents Registration Act unit was dismissed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson in early August.

Craig landed in hot water with Justice Department officials as a result of a 2012 report regarding the prosecution of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko that his former law firm, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, produced for the government of Ukraine in exchange for the sum of $4 million.

The Justice Department claimed that Craig helped carry out Ukraine's media strategy on the matter when he provided the New York Times an early copy of his law firm's independent inquiry into Tymoshenko's case. However, Craig's defense noted in trial that their client had only reached out to Times reporter David Sanger in an effort to stop the whitewashing of his firm's report.

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