Sen. Franken: Sessions Committed Perjury During Confirmation Hearing

NewsMax ^ | 03/08/2017 | By Solange Reyner

[SeekAndFind]

Attorney General Jeff Sessions committed perjury during his confirmation hearing when he failed to disclose meetings with a Russian ambassador, Sen. Al Franken told CNN on Tuesday.

"It's hard to come to any other conclusion," Franken said on "The Lead" with Jake Tapper.

Sessions last week said he was recusing himself from any investigations related to President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign after reports surfaced he had spoken with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak while helping campaign for Trump.

"I have decided to recuse myself from any existing or future investigations of any matters related in any way to the campaigns for President of the United States," Sessions told reporters, adding that his announcement "should not be interpreted as confirmation of the existence of any investigation."

In a letter to Congress Monday, Sessions defended his answers to the Senate Judiciary Committee as "correct" and said he "did not mention communications (he) had had with the Russian ambassador over the years because the question did not ask about them."

Franken told Tapper that Sessions' response was "ridiculous."

"It's not a clarification at all," he said.

[jeffc]

"did not mention communications (he) had had with the Russian ambassador over the years because the question did not ask about them."

Franken told Tapper that Sessions' response was "ridiculous."

Franken's middle name is Moron; can't answer what you aren't asked.....

[bk1000]

“Why is it the the democrats elect the lowest IQ jackasses available??? Waters, Boxer, Franken, etc..”

In their gerimandered districts, people like Waters and Jackson-Lee are mental giants. It is by design.

[Dick Bachert]

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[butlerweave]

Someone should tell Franken that everyones moved on

[Hyman Roth]

And I think Sessions committed perjury.

You must be kidding. Sessions did no such thing. He was asked if he spoke to the Russians on behalf of the campaign. He spoke to them while he was a sitting Senator.

[Artcore]

The Dems desperately attempting to change the narrative again.

[Liz]

Look at it this way, people.

Franken and the Democrats have a lot of time on their hands.....they don’t have anything else to do but hound Republicans.

The Demos are living in political no-man’s land, a permanent minority party looking at years in solitary confinement.

They screwed up royally......first electing a jerk like Obama and then running Hillary.

Now they got Obama’s wire-tapping brouhaha staring them in the face.....a scandal that will haunt the Demos for years to come.

[HarleyLady27]

What we need to do, meaning Trump Administration, is to bury them with subpoenas every hour to keep them chasing their tails and they won't have time on their hands...

[Ditter]

All true Liz, but they still have their hard core believers and the lib-lying press to spout their lies. All the while saying the Republicans are the evil ones.

[PJammers]

Where did AL Franken practice law?

[Mariner]

While the context of the question could reasonably be ascribed to “on behalf of the campaign”, that qualifier was not a part of the question or the answer.

[MNJohnnie]

Read the transcript. Sen Frakenfraud is an out and out liar.

[SeekAndFind]

I copy and paste the EXACT TRANSCRIPT:

_______________________________________

Franken: “CNN just published a story alleging that the intelligence community provided documents to the president-elect last week that included information that quote, ‘Russian operatives claimed to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump.’ These documents also allegedly say quote, ‘There was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump’s surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government.’

“Now, 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 didn’t have — did not have communications with the Russians, and I’m unable to comment on it.”

________________________

Perjury? Hardly. Sessions was answering Franken’s EXACT QUESTION.

Sessions met with the Russian ambassador in his capacity as a senator and member of the armed services committee, not as a Trump campaign surrogate.

Franken is arguing that Sessions should have mentioned his meetings with Kislyak as Senator or member of the armed services committee. The question is WHY SHOULD HE? Franken did not ask a question referring to his capacity as an elected person.

To make a long story short — Franken’s statement has NO STANDING AT ALL. Any normal, unbiased thinking person knows that.

[M Kehoe]

What is it MN? Every time I see, hear or read about Franken, he seems like a complete moron. Maybe he is a genius, and I just can’t find any evidence?

Please enlighten me Minnesota.

5.56mm

[Grampa Dave]

[tophat9000]

Well I wanted Franken on the record

So he’s trying to contend his question had Sessions ever had any contact with the Russians on anything?

Mr. Franken you didn’t give a time frame on that? Did you say in the last year the last two years The Last 5 Years the last 10 years,ever?

Because I recall you asked have you ever had contact with the Russians in this capacity with the campaign and obviously that has a natural time frame

Come on Al you qualified your question you’re asking about in his capacity with the campaign you were not asking if it ever had contact with the Russians you know that your you’re a Senator to

[Liz]

Heh.....Demoncratss playing footsie w/ the Russians, eh?

[SeekAndFind]

RE: So he’s trying to contend his question had Sessions ever had any contact with the Russians on anything?

If he had stop at the above, that would have been a ridiculous question. How can you prevent a sitting Senator who is in the armed services committee from talking to any foreign official? Russian or Chinese or Iranian?

What Franken really wanted to know, but did not phrase it clearly was this -— Did Sessions use his position as Senator to make quid pro quos with the Russians to the extent that if they help Trump win, Sessions will use his position, present or subsequent, to do favors for Russia if they succeed.

THAT has always been what the Democrats were insinuating and there is no evidence of that, but ohh... they’re still digging.

[silverleaf]

If only we could go back the days when gentleman could demand duels to settle name calling

Franken would be a dead duck

[poconopundit]

Franken and the Democrats have a lot of time on their hands.....they don’t have anything else to do but hound Republicans.

Good analysis, Liz. Even the hounding of Republicans is getting them in trouble.

These hounds are getting whipped so bad, they're yelping and running with the tails between their legs.

Lots of bark, not bite.