Sussmann appeared before the DC District Court on Friday, where he entered a not guilty plea to one count of making false statements to the US government, which is punishable by up to five years in prison barring aggravating penalties.
"We are confident that if Mr. Sussmann is charged, he will prevail at trial and vindicate his good name", Sussmann's attorneys said.
The grand jury indictment suggests that Sussmann lied when he "stated to the General Counsel of the FBI that he was not acting on behalf of any client in conveying particular allegations concerning a Presidential candidate, when in truth, and in fact, as the defendant well knew, he was acting on behalf of specific clients, namely, Tech Executive-1 and the Clinton Campaign".
Sussmann is set to be granted conditional pretrial release, which allows him to avoid detention so long as he adheres to the rules of release. These include limiting travel, surrendering his passport, restricting his right to own firearms and communicating regularly with the court and pretrial services.