AG Jeff Sessions recuses himself from Russia hacking investigation
The rumored Russian hacking just won’t go away for the Trump administration, likely because critics choose to believe that this is the cause of Hillary Clinton’s loss in November, or will prove to be a way to impeach President Trump.
Now Attorney General Jeff Sessions has agreed to recuse himself from any Justice Department investigation into the role of Russian intelligence on the 2016 election. Sessions announced Thursday he would withdraw from “existing or future investigations” of matters related to the campaign.
photo/ Gerd Altmann via pixabay
The controversy heated up after news landed the Sessions did indeed meet twice with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak: once during the GOP convention, and once later in his office after allegations about Russian attempts to sway the election had started to swirl.
Sessions had said under oath during his confirmation hearing that he’d had no contacts with Russian officials about the campaign. He claims that he and Kislyak discussed Ukraine and other foreign-policy matters, not the campaign. (emphasis added, the Dispatch).
There will be no way to prove if Sessions is lying now or then, but Democrats are pouncing quickly, calling for Sessions to resign or be removed from the DOJ.
Trump said in a statement late Thursday that while he believed Sessions said nothing wrong, the attorney general could have phrased his answers during the Senate hearing more accurately. Trump also took a swipe at Democrats, saying they are “overplaying their hand.”
“It is a total witch hunt!” he declared.
Sessions said he was surprised by the question about the Russian meetings. “In retrospect, I should have slowed down and said, ‘I did have one meeting with the Russian ambassador.’”
He chose to recuse himself, he said, because “I should not be involved in investigating a campaign I had a role in.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to hold a confirmation hearing for President Trump’s nominee for the deputy’s job: Rod J. Rosenstein, a respected career federal prosecutor who seems likely to win easy approval.
Full statement from Sessions on the next page
There is no evidence that the email released from the hacking(s), even if they were only by the Russians influenced voters in any way. That said, a foreign entity attacking the electronic infrastructure is worthy of an investigation to root out any guilty players.
More related:
Wikileaks claims it was NOT the Russians – full story HERE
UK Ambassador confirms it was a DNC insider, NOT the Russians leaking emails
Seth Rich murdered, could have been DNC leaker
Russians arrest hackers, claim they are U.S. spies – HERE
Jeff Sessions
