On Sessions Firestorm, Context Matters, Recusal Appropriate, Resignation Ridiculous

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Guy Benson:

The latest media firestorm over the Trump administration surrounds an apparent discrepancy between what Attorney General Jeff Sessions testified during his confirmation hearings, and what we now know to be the case. Before drawing any conclusions, it’s important to focus on the actual facts and context of the relevant exchanges. In written testimony, Sessions responded to a question from Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, who asked if Sessions had engaged with any Russian officials “about the 2016 election.” Sessions responded, “no.” Based on all available information, this was a truthful answer, as Leahy asked specifically about the campaign. A separate back-and-forth with Minnesota’s Al Franken is more complicated and problematic for Sessions — but is not, in my view, evidence of perjury or sufficient grounds to demand the Attorney General’s resignation, as many top Democrats have rushed to do. Here is the full discussion, beyond the shorter snippet that most news accounts are playing:

FRANKEN: CNN just published a story alleging that the intelligence community provided documents to the president-elect last week, that included information that “Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump.” These documents also allegedly say “there was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government.” Again, I’m telling you this as it’s coming out, so, you know. But if it’s true, it’s obviously extremely serious, and if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do?SESSIONS: Senator Franken, 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.

The wind-up to Franken’s eventual question dealt with a CNN report about an alleged “continuing exchange” of information between elements of the Trump campaign and the Russian government. (It should briefly be noted that the even the New York Times and subsequent CNN reporting quoted unnamed officials — their leakers — who emphasized that there is no evidence of improper collusion). Franken was directly and specifically addressing a controversy within the framing of the presidential campaign.  Sessions responded that he “did not have communications with the Russians.”  That’s not true, broadly speaking: Sessions met with the Russian ambassador twice during the campaign, which his office now admits: One discussion was in Sessions’ office — which was not unusual due to his capacity as a member of the Senate Arms Services Committee; the other was a spontaneous interaction with other Senators at an event sponsored by the Heritage Foundation.

In light of the raging controversy about Trumpworld’s supposed ties to Russia, and Democrats’ eagerness to beat that drum as loudly as possible, Sessions was at least unwise and sloppy in his blanket assertion about having zero communication with any Russian governmental figures. He should have been much more careful about answering that question as categorically as he did. But it’s also reasonable to presume that given Franken’s line of questioning, and the entire lead-up to the question, Sessions very well may have been answering within the confines of the campaign context.  That’s not a big logical leap.  And it’s a far cry from deliberate perjury. The Washington Post’s Philip Bump has assembled a useful timeline on this kerfuffle, concluding (as I have) that based on current information, Democrats are overreaching:

Perjury requires proof of willful intent, a standard that allowed Eric Holder to wriggle off the hook twice after sworn statements about various Obama-era scandals were shown to be inaccurate.  One such episode was, to my eyes, a much clearer-cut instance of lying than anything we’ve seen from Sessions.  Absent more proof that the public hasn’t seen, it seems to be that there is more than enough ambiguity here for Sessions to avoid charges. To accuse him of deliberately lying under oath is a stretch, so Americans are right to view the partisan resignation chorus through a cynical lens. Nevertheless, Sessions’ over-broad response does feed the Trump/Russia controversy in an unhelpful way for the White House. The FBI and Justice Department are investigating Russia’s efforts at electoral meddling, and if Sessions even appears to be compromised on his impartiality — and particularly if he’s been even a tangential subject of the probe — it looks terrible for him to continue overseeing the investigation in any way.

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If there was ever a situation in which a gigantic, “F**K YOU!!” was absolutely justified and even demanded, it is here and now in this episode. The left wing socialists, whining and crying about squandering ANOTHER perfect opportunity to establish their beloved socialist utopia spend ALL their time and effort trying to chip away around the edges of the Trump administration, hoping to weaken the structure enough to wish for a collapse. Little do they care about the damage they are doing to the nation and, thus, the citizens. All they care about is political power which they have proven time and time again they have no idea how to use.

Instead of recusing himself, he should have done as the Democrats have done for decades, when they have had the power to do so. He should have simply told his attackers, “Eat me. I am going to do what I think is best.”

Democrats are foaming at the mouth hoping to draw blood, forgetting how casually they could ignore Holder lying repeatedly, Hillary lying repeatedly, Obama lying repeatedly over much more real and serious issues.

The icing on the cake:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/03/02/mccaskill-accused-lying-attack-sessions/98630572/

Holder perjured himself under oath, and was held in contempt of Congress when he lied about when he learned about Operation Fast and Furious.

Hillary lied about Benghazi being a spontaneous protest, and the Obama admin went so far as to jail the guy who made the video the adminstration tried to blame for the Benghazi attack.

Lois Lerner’s malfeasance- for which she took the 5th Amendment rather than testify about her actions.

Slick Willie holding up air traffic in Phoenix to meet with Lynch while Hillary was under federal investigation for her bathroom server.

Obama sending taxpayer dollars and sending US campaign consultants to Israel to interfere with Israeli elections.

Ted Kennedy communicating with the Soviets to coordinate against President Reagan.

Hillary’s underlings going through State Department documents to scrub them while she was under investigation.

Sandy Berger stuffing classified documents into his socks to remove evidence of Bill Clinton’s knowledge of terrorist activity when he was president.

Bill Clinton receiving 6 figure payment for a 30 minute speech, paid for by a Russian company that got a contemporaneous uranium deal approved by Hillary’s State Department.

None of the above, to use Obama’s phrase, had any hint of corruption, yet Democrats think Sessions sitting down to talk to the Russian ambassador in his capacity as Senator is an act so heinous as to require his resignation?

Such desperate hypocrisy on the part of the left makes one wonder what they are afraid of Sessions investigating as AG will reveal to the American public.

Perhaps the GOP simply has problems handling a dose of their own modus operandi.

Flashback-Schumer: ‘It Didn’t Matter’ AG Lynch Met with Clinton During Email Probe

After then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch confirmed she met with former President Bill Clinton on a plane last June, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) dismissed calls for an independent prosecutor to take over the Hillary Clinton email investigation.

Today, however, Schumer called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign and demanded a special prosecutor because of a report Sessions had met with the Russian Ambassador in 2016, something he did not disclose during his confirmation hearings. Sessions denies the report and says he “never met with any Russian officials to discuss the issues of the (Trump presidential) campaign.” […]

“She’s an honorable person, we know that,” Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. “She has said nothing was discussed related to the investigation. So you have two choices — to say this didn’t matter or she’s lying. I think it didn’t matter. I don’t think she’s lying.” … …

(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com …

@Greg:

Hardly, you (paid?) Soros troll.

Democrats have no principle, except doing whatever evil, unethical, disingenuous and/or hypocritical act they feel is necessary to advance their fascist goals.

What goes around comes around.

@Bill… Deplorable Me: I seem to recall you saying Repubs were different If there guys lied–like Flynn–they were promptly removed—Sessions lied under oath.
The fact he was set up and he swallowed the bait and the fish and the pole–Payback’s a bitch Bill. You either keep this liar or send him packing–which is it?

There’s quite a few demacrats that need to resign in disgrace for their bad behavior John Lewis is just one of the lowlife reptiles how about everybody that took part in that sill sit down on the buttholes for more gun control laws should all resign in disgrace

@Rich Wheeler:

Sessions lied under oath.

You are peddling fake news just like you did when you claimed the cop in Minnesota executed the black motorist. Did you even bother to read the transcript of what was asked and what was said? The entire context of the conversation dealt with allegations about members of the Trump campaign meeting with Russians (part of the whole “the Russians hacked the election” meme which hasn’t been proven) as part of the campaign not whether or not Sessions, as a U.S. Senator, ever met with a Russian which is what this latest fake “scandal” is all about. His response is clear that he never met with a Russian as part of Trump’s campaign not that he never met with a Russian while performing his senatorial duties. Anyone with knowledge of the committee he chaired would know that as a Senator in the position he held he would have met with a Russian or two or three.

Repubs were different If there guys

While we’re at it, since you love to mock people for misspelled words and bad grammar, the proper spelling is “their” not “there”. I suggest you clean up your own house first before mocking others.

It appears Obama had Trump’s phones tapped at Trump towers… where the planning for the Administration was going on. So, likely Obama knew who Trump was thinking of as his appointees and nominees.

Then Obama changed the line of succession in the DOJ… in case the Attorney General was incapacitated in some way.

This is scary stuff, folks. If half of the stuff Obama has allegedly done before he “left” office (he is virtually still there) this IS sedition. IF true, I hope to God Trump flushes out every single one of them and prosecutes them to the full extent of the law… INCLUDING Obama.