Former White House Counsel Gregory Craig is in the clear.
Craig was found not guilty Wednesday on a felony charge of lying to the Justice Department about his work with the Ukrainian government. It marked the end of another case that stemmed from former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, and one of several DOJ crackdowns on foreign influence within the federal government.
Craig served as White House counsel during former President Barack Obama's first year in office, and then joined President Trump's ex-campaign chair Paul Manafort in 2012 on lobbying work for the Ukrainian government. Manafort pleaded guilty to charges relating to his lobbying work last September, but Craig wasn't similarly charged with failing to register as a foreign agent. He was accused of misleading the DOJ when it was investigating his work with Ukraine, presumably to avoid having to register as a foreign agent, per NBC News.
The jury on Wednesday delivered Craig's not guilty verdict in just four hours, acquitting him of his felony charge. Still, his trial painted a colorful picture of how former government officials and other Washington, D.C. elites can turn massive profits from ethically questionable relationships with foreign governments.
