... I always viewed that trial as a test for Durham.
Now, he has more information available to him to go after higher ups.
Also interesting that immediately after the bad verdict, it becomes known that Sussmann was the person running a secret FBI computer from within the Perkins Coie offices.
Hmm ...
https://media.gab.com/system/media_attachments/files/107/865/421/original/3851fc3a0568bab5.mp4
EDIT TO ADD:
Hillary/HRC Campaign/DNC paid Perkins Coie for "legal work." This, in itself, was fraud, because there was nothing legal about what they did -- nor was it related to legal advice.
The attorney assigned to work on it was election attorney, Michael Sussmann.
Sussmann was/is operating a "workspace" (i.e. computer) from within his office that was/is an FBI computer.
Sussmann hired Rodney Joffe, who hired a "team" (how many? two? eight?) from Georgia Tech, who "accessed NON-public information," and came up with the fake story linking Russian Alfa Bank with Trump.
Meanwhile, NSA Director Adm. Rogers discovered that some "FBI contractor(s)" was (were) accessing the NSA database, illegally. He shut down that access.
Also meanwhile, Perkins Coie paid Fusion GPS, who paid Christopher Steele, who created a set of false documents purportedly linking Trump to Russians. Danchenko, who was the source of this fake story, will be prosecuted by Durham in a few months.
The FBI computer that Sussmann was running has been there since 2012. Rogers found out about the illegal access (i.e. spying) of the NSA database in late 2015, and shut it down in early 2016.
The DNC/Perkins Coie/Joffe/Steele stuff all happened after that, I think.
So ...
Establishment DNC (RNC, too?) were using contractors to illegally access the NSA database to spy on political opponents. They paid "legal fees" to Perkins Coie, who had direct access to the FBI computer, as well as using Fusion GPS, who possibly had a computer to hack into the NSA database. Could that be the CIA computer ("Hammer")? Did Snowden have something to do with setting up that link? All this illegal spy intel would be sent into the FBI computer by Sussmann, and FBI could then put pressure on people or get spy warrants from the corrupt FISA court, run by corrupt John Roberts.
When the NSA database access was shut down, Hillary/DNC had to pivot by manufacturing false dirt (since they couldn't find any real dirt via illegal NSA computer access), and they used Perkins Coie/Sussmann/Joffe/Georgia Tech/Fusion GPS/Christopher Steele/Igor Danchenko/Nellie Ohr/Bruce Ohr/DOJ/FBI to do it.
Did Sussmann provide Joffe/Georgia Tech with external access to the FBI computer?
Did the Sussmann jury conclude (since they were already pro-Clinton anyway) that Durham did not prove a DIRECT payment-for-false-story by Clinton to Sussmann, so that they could pretend that the Clinton payments to Perkins Coie were not necessarily SPECIFICALLY for creating this false dirt on Trump?
Were they both blinded sheep AND too stupid to function in the real world, at the same time? Possibly. If they thought Durham did not prove the payment was SPECIFICALLY for creating his false dirt, because there was no invoice for "False Dirt on Trump" that was billable to Hillary, then maybe that is why they acquitted.
But there is a MUCH bigger picture than what Sussmann wrote in a text message about whether or not he was giving (false) info to the FBI on behalf of a client or not.
The bigger picture is how the entire thing was set up to rig an election and engage in sedition against the United States. The set up was clearly done in a manner that was designed to hide the true source of payment and the true purpose of the "legal work." It was designed to give plausible deniability to all involved, which is evidence of conspiracy. And because foreign people were involved, it is not "merely" sedition. It is treason.
Yes I formally believe that they knew they would lose this case but it did obtain more evidence, got some info out there. And think about it, it was only a trial for lying to FBI. He can go down for many other charges so he is not home free as the saying goes.