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The Jeff Sessions Attack Is a Nothingburger
The Resurgent ^ | March 2, 2017 | Erick Erickson

Posted on 03/02/2017 1:46:40 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

First, let’s get this out of the way. It is not a coincidence that within twenty four hours of Donald Trump giving a well received speech to congress that the New York Times runs a hit job on Jeff Sessions to distract from it, particularly after admitting the Obama Administration has been behind much of this disruption.

Let’s review what happened. During Jeff Sessions’ confirmation hearing, he had this exchange with Senator Al Franken.

“FRANKEN: OK. CNN has just published a story and I’m telling you this about a news story that’s just been published. I’m not expecting you to know whether or not it’s true or not. But 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.

They were clearly talking about the Trump campaign. The Attorney General is making clear he never discussed the campaign with the Russians.

Yes, it is true that Jeff Sessions did have interaction with the Russian ambassador during his time in the Senate. He met with the Russian Ambassador as part of Sessions’ role on the Armed Services Committee. He also spoke at the Heritage Foundation to a group of more than fifty ambassadors and the Russian ambassador was one of those attending.

The very same Democrats upset with Jeff Sessions and accusing him of lying were perfectly fine with Attorney General Loretta Lynch meeting with Bill Clinton during the 2016 campaign.

Consider just how partisan this is by Claire McCaskill, a Democrat Senator from Missouri, taking to Twitter to lie about the situation. McCaskill served with Sessions on the Armed Services Committee and tweeted that she had never met the Russian ambassador as part of her ten years on the committee. But a quick search of her twitter feed proved otherwise.

The Democrats are grasping at straws to distract from the President’s speech. They have Obama campaign operatives and the New York Times helping them do it.

There is no there, there.

I still maintain, however, that there should be an independent investigation of the Russian involvement in the 2016 election, but this attack on Sessions is ridiculous.


TOPICS: Issues; Parties; U.S. Congress; U.S. Senate
KEYWORDS: democrats; erickerickson; sessions
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To: FR_addict

The time to stand was b4 the end of last season.


21 posted on 03/02/2017 2:13:39 PM PST by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
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To: This I Wonder32460

Since he already said in his nomination hearings that he would recuse himself from anything connected to Trump’s election, he had to recuse himself.

In fact this whole nothing story was probably put out today, not because of Trump’s great speech, but because today was the day Sessions planned to announce whether he would recuse himself on the Russian hacking story.


22 posted on 03/02/2017 2:14:37 PM PST by FR_addict (Ryan needs to go!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Erik is right .. this whole ACT is a nothing-burger.

Rush was saying the same things this morning.

Once again, the Repubs have allowed the LEFT to take the lead on a story .. AND THEY HAVE NOT FOUGHT BACK AT ALL.

IT’S SO COWARDLY, I WANT TO SCREAM.


23 posted on 03/02/2017 2:18:10 PM PST by CyberAnt (.)
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To: CyberAnt
Erik is right .. this whole ACT is a nothing-burger.

It would be if only Sessions stood his ground. Now it gives the appearance that there is fire with that smoke.

24 posted on 03/02/2017 2:19:06 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator
So far, it looks like the swamp is winning.

The real question now is: What's Trump going to do about it?

Will asses be kicked, or will asses be kissed? Will we become a great America again or will we become some lesser quisling nation with atrophied leaders cowering in fear of shadows?

25 posted on 03/02/2017 2:19:52 PM PST by Two Kids' Dad (((( ))))
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To: 2ndDivisionVet; zot; NYer

Hillary is the one who should be investigated for her connections to the Russians via the Clinton Foundation and her dealings as Sec of State to get paid for decisions that benefited Putin.


26 posted on 03/02/2017 2:23:29 PM PST by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I think fatboy NeverTrump loser Erickson meant to say, Jeff Session is being attacked. I need a cheeseburger.


27 posted on 03/02/2017 2:25:04 PM PST by nhwingut (Trump Pence 16 - Blow Up DC)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

28 posted on 03/02/2017 2:32:44 PM PST by Blue Turtle
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Weird.

I was just thinking the word "nothingburger" as I was in the bathroom this morning, talking to myself and surfing the web.

My hope is that President Trump will stand tall with Secretary Sessions, and not bow to pressure to fire him, from the very same Democrats and RINOs who have also met with the ambassadors from around the world.

The Democrats and RINOs held up his appointment, for weeks, and not once did they ask him this question? But it's coming out now? And those same RINOs are now piling on, too?

Treason and sedition.


29 posted on 03/02/2017 2:35:36 PM PST by Miguk
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

A nothingburger becomes a lethal bomb in the hands of a RAT because of the notoriety given to it by the MSM. The GOP still does not comprehend that it has to fight on two different fronts — the RATs and the MSM. The GOP is often outnumbered in the realm of public opinion.


30 posted on 03/02/2017 3:50:05 PM PST by 353FMG (AMERICA FIRST.)
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To: ObozoMustGo2012

Boy you people turn on conservative senators on a dime. First it was Cruz and now Sessions.


31 posted on 03/02/2017 3:57:56 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
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To: jazminerose

Did you read the title?


32 posted on 03/02/2017 3:58:42 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
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To: 353FMG

It already HAS. The F’NG RATS ran this interception back from the 4yd line into our end-zone with our side just f’ng STANDING AROUND.

They have established the narrative that this admin is in no place or authority to run them down for the crimes they’re getting away with.

Whatta way to blow *******76%******* of Americans supporting your agenda and goals in the off-the-charts speech you just gave.


33 posted on 03/02/2017 3:59:26 PM PST by txhurl
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Sure, but you have to know what's going on to know that it's a "nothingburger."

The Democrats are aiming at an audience that doesn't know the details and doesn't care about them, but will respond to the name "Jeff Sessions" for years to come with the feeling that there was something fishy connected with him.

Link together enough incidents like this and you can take down an administration if you've got the media on your side and a public that listens to them.

P.S. What are the usual toppings for a "nothingburger"?

34 posted on 03/02/2017 4:06:32 PM PST by x
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

First of all, when there are SOPHISTICATED defenses, this makes it easier to eliminate suspects. STUXNET, 20 times as complicated as the next most complicated malware, an attack on air gapped Siemens PLC’s at Natanz meant that not to many orgs could pull that off.

The DNC/Podesta/Hillary emails is very much at the other end of the scale. Hell DHS director Jeh Johnson and CIA director John Brenner were both hacked by a teenager several months back.
https://www.wired.com/2015/10/hacker-who-broke-into-cia-director-john-brennan-email-tells-how-he-did-it/

What is really questionable about the election/Russian hacking story is first of all the overall scenario.

Historically the way damaging insider data works is that the person that Russia or China HAS the goods on they TRY to get elected. That way they have leverage.

For example, the PR of China had given money to Bill Clinton since he was the governor of Arkansas through a restaurateur/Chinese agent Johnny Chung. Later when Bill become President, he ordered Loral to fix their ICBM program with the aid of longtime supporter Bernie Schwartz.

Democratic operatives who have lied and leaked partisan intel include Jeh Johnson, John Brenner, and James Clapper. So John Brenner the CIA director who released the intel on the Russian hacks has zero credibility.

My third problem with the Russian/Trump connection are considering the leaks that have come out, they would have come out. Trump and his admin has intel insiders leaking things like crazy. For example, the Mexico call, the Australian call, the Canadian Call, the Russia call with Flynn.

If you were to break into a gun shop to steal something would you grab a handful of BB’s and leave? Heck no, breaking in a gun shop is highly illegal and you wouldn’t risk it unless you were going for some high power weaponry.

Same thing applies. The insiders who are leaking stuff to damage Trump would take him out if they had the goods. They wouldn’t risk their careers and not use the most damaging info they have, and it is pretty clear they have access to practically everything.


35 posted on 03/02/2017 4:11:16 PM PST by ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton (Go Egypt on 0bama)
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To: txhurl
It already HAS. The F’NG RATS ran this interception back from the 4yd line into our end-zone with our side just f’ng STANDING AROUND.

Absolute balderdash.

To continue your football analogy, the Democrats intercepted a pass, kneeled down for a touchback in their own endzone, started with a first down at their own 20, and then went 3-and-out and had to punt.

The Enemy didn't score at all. Not even a field goal.

The recusal which so many have their panties in a bunch about appears to have been coming anyway, if anyone cares to check the actual record, regardless of this hit piece.

But even if you want to grant them the recusal on some kind of technical grounds, that doesn't come anywhere close to being a scalp of any kind, and certainly does not fir this ridiculous assertion:

They have established the narrative that this admin is in no place or authority to run them down for the crimes they’re getting away with.

The above is patently hysterical nonsense.

In reality, the President is being vary careful and "keeping his powder dry", and obviously taking a somewhat more strategic and long-term view than a knee-jerk reaction would dictate.

It's unbelievable that even the most unhinged worry wart could see this nothing burger as any kind of "score" for the Democrats.

Like virtually everything else the Democrat and Media (but I repeat myself) have been bleating about, it's all just a bunch of noise, nothing more. They got no scalp. They got a theoretiical recusal on something that doesn't even exist in reality.

A pyrrhic victory, at best...

36 posted on 03/02/2017 4:16:29 PM PST by sargon ("If we were in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, the Left would protest for zombies' rights.")
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To: GreyFriar

Hillary should be investigated for MANY of her “pay-to-play” connections via the Clinton Foundation.


37 posted on 03/02/2017 4:33:37 PM PST by zot
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To: sargon

A pyrrhic victory, at best...


String together enough victories, pyrrhic or successful = winning the GAME of the narrative.

You new to this or something?


38 posted on 03/02/2017 5:16:42 PM PST by txhurl
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To: txhurl
You new to this or something?

Not at all. That's why I don't get hysterical about nothingburgers...

39 posted on 03/02/2017 5:34:10 PM PST by sargon ("If we were in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, the Left would protest for zombies' rights.")
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To: txhurl

There is no our side. It’s Trump only on our side of the American people . The rest are the uniparty and the media and the establishment


40 posted on 03/03/2017 1:19:28 PM PST by Democrat_media (Yellen raising rates with only 1.8% growth to hurt Trump send USA to depression)
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