Greg Craig, who once served as White House counsel for
then-President Barack Obama, was indicted Thursday for alleged false statements
in connection with his work on behalf of Ukraine.
The Washington-based lawyer was indicted by a grand jury
in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for allegedly
falsifying and concealing “material facts” and making false statements to the
unit responsible for enforcing foreign lobbying laws.
At issue was Craig’s lobbying work performed in 2012 for
the Russian-backed president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, while Craig was a
partner at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
His attorneys on Wednesday night told The Associated
Press in a statement that the "government's stubborn insistence on
prosecuting Mr. Craig is a misguided abuse of prosecutorial discretion."
The indictment was announced by Assistant Attorney
General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for
the District of Columbia, and Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney,
Jr. of the FBI’s New York Field Office.
The Associated Press contributed to this
report.
