In October 2018, two dueling portrayals of Michael Sussmann appeared in the opinion pages of The Wall Street Journal.

Conservative columnist Kimberely Strassel tore into the former Perkins Coie partner for meeting with a top FBI lawyer weeks before the 2016 election to share information about possible links between then-candidate Donald Trump and Russia. Strassel called Sussmann a "point man" for the firm's representation of the Hillary Clinton campaign and held up the meeting as proof that the bureau "strayed beyond obvious guardrails" in its zealous pursuit of Trump and his campaign.