Attorney General Jeff Sessions reportedly had two conversations with Russia's ambassador

[bostonangler]

Attorney General Jeff Sessions reportedly had two conversations with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. during last year's presidential campaign, while Sessions was still a senator.

News of the conversations were first reported by The Washington Post. The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. investigators had examined contacts between Sessions and Russian officials and that the Justice Department was "wringing its hands" about how to proceed in the matter.

The Journal reported that Sessions did not know that his communications were under investigation.

When contacted by Fox News late Wednesday, Sessions said, "I never met with any Russian officials to discuss issues of the campaign. I have no idea what this allegation is about. It is false."

A White House statement said the story was "the latest attack agaisnt the Trump Administration by partisan Democrats."

The Justice Department said late Wednesday that one of the discussions between Sessions and Sergey Kislyak was an office visit that occurred in Sessions' capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The second conversation took place in a group setting with other ambassadors following a Heritage Foundation speech.

Reports about the meetings appeared to contradict a statement Sessions made during his confirmation hearing in January.

Sessions was asked by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., how he would respond "if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign."

“I’m not aware of any of those activities,” answered Sessions, one of Trump’s earliest and most prominent supporters during the campaign. “I have been called a surrogate a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians, and I’m unable to comment on it.”

The Justice Depoartment said Wednesday that "there was absolutely nothing misleading about [Sessions'] answer [to Franken]. He was asked during the hearing about communications between Russia and the Trump campaign--not about meetings he took as a senator and a member of the Armed Services Committee."

Sessions had meetings last year with more than 25 foreign ambassadors, the Department said.

The disclosure caused renewed calls for Sessions to step aside from an ongoing FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

In a statement, Franken said he was troubled that Sessions' response to his question was "at best, misleading." He said he planned to press Sessions on his contact with Russia.

"It's clearer than ever now that the attorney general cannot, in good faith, oversee an investigation at the Department of Justice and the FBI of the Trump-Russia connection, and he must recuse himself immediately," Franken said.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the ranking member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence said that if the reports were true, "it is essential that [Sessions] recuse himself from any role in the investigation of Trump campaign ties to the Russians.

"This is not even a close call," Schiff added, "it is a must."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., went a step further and called on Sessions to resign for "lying under oath."

"Sessions is not fit to serve as the top law enforcement officer of our country and must resign," Pelosi said in a statement. "There must be an independent, bipartisan, outside commission to investigate the Trump political, personal and financial connections to the Russians." 

Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., referred to Sessions as "my dear friend" in a CNN town hall Wednesday with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., but also noted, "If there’s something there that the FBI believes is criminal in nature, then for sure you need a special prosecutor."

The White House has already acknowledged that Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, misled top officials about the nature of his contacts with Kislyak. Flynn initially told Vice President Mike Pence and other Trump advisers that he did not discuss sanctions with the envoy during the transition, though it was later revealed that he did.

When Sessions was asked this week if he would recuse himself from the investigation of ties between the Trump campaign and Moscow, he said, "I would recuse myself on anything that I think I should recuse myself on. That's all I can tell you."

Fox News' Matthew Dean and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/02/sessions-russian-ambassador-spoke-twice-during-presidential-campaign.html

 

 

B/A

[Shabibilicious]

Jeffrey Sergei Sessionsov.  

GO RV, then BV

[umbertino]

Jeff Sessions did not disclose meetings with Russian ambassador during Trump campaign

Attorney general told Senate he had no contact with Russian officials

Top Democrats call for his ‘immediate’ resignation

Sessions met twice with Sergey Kislyak, Moscow’s ambassador to the US

Sabrina Siddiqui in Washington

Thursday 2 March 2017 14.04 GMT

 

Vid in link

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/02/jeff-sessions-russian-ambassador-trump-campaign

[umbertino]

Jeff Sessions and the Russia connection: what happened and why does it matter?

The House Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi, has called for the US attorney general to resign over his links to Russia. Will he?

Stephanie Kirchgaessner

Thursday 2 March 2017 12.46 GMT

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/02/jeff-sessions-and-the-russia-connection-what-happened-and-why-does-it-matter

[chess]

PELOSI SHOULD RESIGN!!.........SO MANY FACE LIFTS; SHE LITTERALY TALKS OUT OF HER A$$..........

[MyLadiesDaddy]

OMG! He most certainly should resign, who the heck does he think he is actually doing his job in Washington?  And that thing about misleading Congress, HOW DARE HE? They would NEVER lie to the American people. HE'S GOTTA GO. 

[Shabibilicious]

23 minutes ago, chess said:

PELOSI SHOULD RESIGN!!.........SO MANY FACE LIFTS; SHE LITTERALY TALKS OUT OF HER A$$..........

I wonder if her A$$ speaks Russian?

GO RV, then BV

 

[bostonangler]

15 minutes ago, ladyGrace'sDaddy said:

OMG! He most certainly should resign, who the heck does he think he is actually doing his job in Washington?  And that thing about misleading Congress, HOW DARE HE? They would NEVER lie to the American people. HE'S GOTTA GO. 

Yup he's just another swap creature... His record proves it.... Hopefully we get an honest man to head our legal department next time.

 

B/A

[nstoolman1]

 

Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

The job of senators on that committee is to talk to foreign Ambassadors.  

I am not seeing the problem.

 

 

[boomhand86]

Seems to me that the Democrats wouldn't want to investigate this, might dig up something that smells like the clintons 

[MyLadiesDaddy]

1 hour ago, bostonangler said:

Yup he's just another swap creature... His record proves it.... Hopefully we get an honest man to head our legal department next time.

 

B/A

You just proved Beyond any doubt to everyone that reads these words why you don't know a thing about what you're talking about. It takes more than two functioning brain cells to know that my statement above was a comical satire of The Psychotic liberal-left opinion of Jeff sessions. His job was to discuss things with ambassadors of other countries his statement to Congress was that he discussed nothing about the election. If you get off your liberal whacked-out news media sites delivering you all the fake news you can handle and read and try to comprehend simple English you would understand the truth.

[Jaxinjersey]

7 minutes ago, ladyGrace'sDaddy said:

You just proved Beyond any doubt to everyone that reads these words why you don't know a thing about what you're talking about. It takes more than two functioning brain cells to know that my statement above was a comical satire of The Psychotic liberal-left opinion of Jeff sessions. His job was to discuss things with ambassadors of other countries his statement to Congress was that he discussed nothing about the election. If you get off your liberal whacked-out news media sites delivering you all the fake news you can handle and read and try to comprehend simple English you would understand the truth.

Correct Scotty!  Honest objectivity is the cure for knee-jerk reactions and narrative.  Go to the source... the true premise, and start from there.  Clarity resolved. 

[bostonangler]

Wow you guys really need to lighten up.. I too was joking. Honestly I'm actually beginning to feel sorry for those who are so disenchanted, that they can't even laugh at a joke.

 

B/A

[Jaxinjersey]

5 minutes ago, bostonangler said:

Wow you guys really need to lighten up.. I too was joking. Honestly I'm actually beginning to feel sorry for those who are so disenchanted, that they can't even laugh at a joke.

 

B/A

Oh... joke!  Haha... hey, that's why we have these ... kind of helps with the context!  You're always soooooo close to getting your point across... with clarity!  Just sayin' 

[jaybake]

Medai is at another low point!!! In this case, they will constinue exposed their liberal bias and fake news narrative.  

[bostonangler]

19 minutes ago, Jaxinjersey said:

Oh... joke!  Haha... hey, that's why we have these ... kind of helps with the context!  You're always soooooo close to getting your point across... with clarity!  Just sayin' 

Well if people weren't so thin-skinned they might actually enjoy themselves. Some of these folks are riding the Dark Horse of the Apocalypse.

wink wink

B/A

 

 

[bostonangler]

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Thursday he will recuse himself from “any existing or future investigations” regarding the 2016 presidential campaign, responding to bipartisan pressure to step aside from a probe into Moscow meddling amid revelations he spoke twice with Russia’s ambassador and didn’t disclose it to Congress.

In a press conference Thursday afternoon, Sessions pushed back forcefully, however, on allegations he misled lawmakers. Though he testified during his confirmation hearing that he had no “communications” with Russia during the campaign, when he was a top surrogate for then-candidate Donald Trump, Sessions defended his answer as “honest and correct.”

“I never had meetings with Russian operatives or Russian intermediaries about the Trump campaign,” he said.

Sessions said he did not intend to mislead anyone, suggesting he was referring in that hearing only to discussions about the campaign. Still, Sessions said he would write to the Senate Judiciary Committee to “explain this testimony for the record.”

The nation’s top law enforcement officer also answered growing calls to recuse himself from a federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign. He said he’s been meeting with Justice officials for weeks about the possibility and has made his conclusion: “I have recused myself in the matters that deal with the Trump campaign.”

In a written statement and at the press conference, Sessions made clear he wasn’t confirming the existence of any investigation. His written statement said: “Acting Deputy Attorney General and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Dane Boente shall act as and perform the functions of the Attorney General with respect to any matters from which I have recused myself to the extent they exist.”

The press conference amounted to Sessions’ first public effort to calm the political firestorm that erupted overnight – though by the time Sessions addressed reporters, several top Democrats already were demanding his resignation.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-N.Y., went so far as to say he had “lied” to Congress, and repeated her resignation demand after the press conference.

Sessions’ “narrow recusal and his sorry attempt to explain away his perjury are totally inadequate,” Pelosi said in a statement. “Attorney General Sessions’ lies to the Senate and to the American people make him unfit to serve as the chief law enforcement officer of our country. He must resign immediately.”

Many Republicans jumped to Sessions’ defense, saying Democrats were engaged in political theater and describing Sessions’ meetings as routine, since he was a senator at the time. 

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said in a statement that he’d talked to “at least twenty ambassadors in the last six weeks.”

But Republicans including House oversight committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said earlier he should still recuse himself from the DOJ probe.

For Sessions’ detractors, the central problem was his testimony to the Senate during his confirmation hearing.  

Asked by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., at that hearing what he’d do with evidence that anyone tied to the campaign communicated with Russia last year, Sessions said: “I'm not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I … did not have communications with the Russians, and I'm unable to comment on it.”

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer defended Sessions, telling “Fox & Friends” he was “100 percent straight with the committee” and Democrats were playing politics. Spicer said Sessions was referring to discussions in his role as a Trump campaign surrogate.

Earlier Thursday afternoon, President Trump said he has “total” confidence in Sessions, though he said he was not aware of the AG’s meetings.

The Washington Post first reported that Sessions spoke twice last year with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. One discussion, in July, was described as involving a group of ambassadors after a Heritage Foundation event on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention. Kislyak was part of a “small group” of diplomats who approached Sessions and spoke with him.

A subsequent meeting was held in September in the senator’s office. Justice officials said Sessions met with ambassadors in his capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Sessions, at his press conference, offered a few details about the September meeting. He said they “talked a little bit about terrorism” as well as Ukraine, at which point it got a bit “testy.”

According to a schedule provided to Fox News, Sessions had 30 meetings with numerous ambassadors from April 14 through Nov. 11. Russia appears on the schedule only once – the Sept. 8 meeting with Kislyak. The day before, Sessions also took a meeting with Ukraine Ambassador Valeriy Chaly.

But for Democrats, the revelations of any Russia discussions only served to fuel long-running accusations that Trump-tied officials have sought to conceal past contacts with Moscow. Earlier this month, Michael Flynn resigned as national security adviser amid accusations he misled Vice President Pence and others over his contact with the Russian ambassador.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said earlier Thursday that Sessions should resign “for the good of the country.”

After the press conference, Schumer said Sessions “is right to recuse himself, but the fact is he should have done so the moment he was sworn in.”

He added, “This episode has echoes of General Flynn's firing and continues a troubling pattern with this administration. They only do the right thing when they are caught doing the wrong thing. The administration didn't fire General Flynn until he was caught lying and the Attorney General didn't recuse himself until he was caught misleading Congress.”

Schumer said Boente should now appoint a special prosecutor.

[umbertino]

Jeff Sessions recuses himself from Russia inquiry amid calls for resignation

Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats have addressed accusations that Trump’s attorney general lied about meeting Russian ambassador

Lauren Gambino in Washington and Spencer Ackerman in New York

Thursday 2 March 2017 21.21 GMT

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/02/jeff-sessions-calls-for-resignation-claims-lies-russia

[RV ME]

18 minutes ago, bostonangler said:

 

LINK!

 

[MyLadiesDaddy]

1 hour ago, RV ME said:

LINK!

 

Hey make sure you use the appropriate smiley face with that request. We wouldn't want to offend someone 

[BJinMontreal]

Get that brain-dead Nancy Pelosi out of politics and have her investigated for insider trading ...

 I'm sick of these democrats thinking their shyte don't stink!!  Her and that other brain-dead fool Maxine Waters have long over lived their usefulness (if they ever had it - and lining your pockets to enrich yourselves - isn't usefulness) to the political establishment!!!

 

[Shabibilicious]

1 hour ago, RV ME said:

LINK!

 

What's with the screaming.....you feeling vulnerable?  

GO RV, then BV

[Indraman]

I hope the Looney LEFT runs with this one...this is a losing proposition. The middle America has seen the Political Coop that is being orchestrated by the MSM and the Looney Left and we are wise to it now...

Indy

[pattyangel]

11 minutes ago, BJinMontreal said:

Get that brain-dead Nancy Pelosi out of politics and have her investigated for insider trading ...

 I'm sick of these democrats thinking their shyte don't stink!!  Her and that other brain-dead fool Maxine Waters have long over lived their usefulness (if they ever had it - and lining your pockets to enrich yourselves - isn't usefulness) to the political establishment!!!

 

Agree, BJinMontreal!!!! Nasty Nancy has more bacteria cells in her body than human cells.  She's one big joke

[Texstorm]

This is so frickin unbelievable ! The whole damn Obama administration is and has undermined the new administration with every drop of piss and vinegar ! "The Russians are coming , the Russians are coming ! " If any of you actually believe this you deserve the first strike nuclear war head on your ass ! 2nd strike it won't matter anyway ! What a bunch of dumb corn cob butt wipes ! Like I've always said " you can't fix stupid" ! I am going to have great fun watching all of the crybabies suck hind *** from the jackels they deserve for the next 8 years !