Posted on 03/01/2017 7:36:32 PM PST by blam
Just when you thought the 'Russians-did-it' meme was fading, WaPo reporters manage to find DoJ officials who say then-Senator Jeff Sessions spoke twice last year with Russia’s ambassador to the United States - encounters he did not disclose when asked about possible contacts with Moscow during his confirmation hearing to become attorney general.
At his Jan. 10 Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, Sessions was asked by Sen. Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, what he would do if he learned of any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of the 2016 campaign.
“I’m not aware of any of those activities,” he responded.
He added: “I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians.”
And now, as The Hill reports that according to The Washington Post report, President Trump's attorney general, Jeff Sessions, spoke twice with Russia's ambassador to the United States while Trump was on the campaign trail.
Justice Department officials said one of the meetings was a private conversation between Sessions and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in Sessions's office. The private meeting reportedly took place during the same time intelligence officials have said Russia was interfering with the U.S. presidential election through a hacking campaign.
Officials said Sessions did not consider the conversations relevant to the lawmakers’ questions and did not remember in detail what he discussed with Kislyak.
“There was absolutely nothing misleading about his answer,” said Sarah Isgur Flores, Sessions’s spokeswoman.
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at zerohedge.com ...
Sessions endorsed Trump in February 2016, however, I don’t think that translates to Sessions being a campaign official or surrogate. When I look at the video of Franken questioning Sessions and his surrogate role I get the impression Sessions is being flippant with his answer (being a Trump surrogate).
The covert would not seem to apply here as SASC members are out saying that they have never met with Russians in the course of SASC business.
The question was what would he do if he found out the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.
His answer should have been that he’d respond accordingly based on the severity and scope of findings, up to/including recusing himself if appropriate. By instead saying that he wasn’t aware of any campaign reps having Russian relations, that he had had no relations and couldn’t answer the original question he, at best, gave fodder to the propagandaist (as was once said, perception is oft all that matters in politics).
Fortunately, he answered “no” in a confirmation questionnaire with a specific question as to if he had been in contact with Russians in regard to the 2016 campaign.
The actual question is what he would do as AG if he found out the campaign communicated with Russia. It wasn’t if he himself had been in contact. He may be just in his meetings , but he stepped in it in that response. That’s a fact, not some talking point.
Thank you for the response and input. I hadn’t thought he was part of the actual campaign so am hoping that is a false report (if so, I’m sure it will go unrecanted *rolls eyes*).
I was flabbergasted to see Cornyn exposed as anti-Trump agenda and now that we know, we need to expose him at every turn. We all knew he was a rino. Tucker have him no quarter,He just glared at him like he was a sorry SOB!!.
Exactly the problem. Correctly and concisely stated by you, good post.
Anyone without an agenda (and with a brain) can see that Sessions, when answering “no” to the question of any contact with the Russians, was saying he had no conversation with them ABOUT THE ELECTION. BECAUSE THAT is what Sen. Smaley was asking him about during the confirmation process!
But as you said those with an agenda are going to make huge hay about his imprecision. Sigh.
I am very confident they didn’t stay in D.C. for the reason they stated. From the second I heard that high school excuse, I didn’t buy it.
so the dems now have to take words out of context for an issue?
Pathetic.
>The actual question is what he would do as AG if he found out the campaign communicated with Russia. It wasn’t if he himself had been in contact. He may be just in his meetings , but he stepped in it in that response. That’s a fact, not some talking point.
That’s bull pucky and you’re a Soros bot.
exactly
That is transcript verbatim. Sessions simply need not have mentioned anything about campaign staff/himself communicating with Russia and avoided all this hubbub. Fortunately his response to specific written question in the confirmation process, as well as his gracious statements today, clarify the issue, even though I’m sure there’s no putting the genie back in the bottle as far as the Dems and media are concerned (know thy true enemy and Sorobots ;).
You clearly have no understanding of the SASC members internal rules. We are not talking covert, we are talking overt. The members, if they contact foreign contacts... must and do report it, if they want to stay on the committee that is.
You know what his “answer should have been”— how would that be possible, as if to advise a brilliant prosecuting attorney how to answer a question from a red diaper doper baby, square head MN liberal a-hole who stole his election by manipulating a vote recount through the “Secretary of State” program of George Soros. You should be able to look that up on your web link to your expenses submission for posting.
You need to be sharper (having started in 2008, conveniently— you working at the Kalorama address or are you offsite, tweeting ValJar?) to play this game.
This is a total dismantle of the “legacy” of liberation theology, neo-socialist, alinskyite deep state and administrative govt. tyranny at all levels. Sessions isn’t going to “recuse” himself, and this isn’t watergate 1968. The facts— the actual facts are known. The rest is just weasels positioning for some scraps of power. Cleaning the Augean Stables, the scum trough feeding so many.
McCaskill is reportedly also playing the semantics game now and saying that she (and another member) never meet/met with the Ambassador alone (implying Sessions does?). Normally I’d immediately dismiss the validity of such a story originating from the Washington Post that ‘reportedly’ contacted (poll was my take) the committee and their so-called responses, but in this day of political blabbing to the press and rabid Trumphunting.
Speaking of the get-Trump movement, since Sessions was so free & forthcoming with the info of these meetings today, there is no reason not to have done so one month ago at the confirmation hearing to keep yet another avoidable, unnecessary thread from popping up as this crap is indeed having an impact on some otherwise smart, centrist people who still rely on the MSM for their info.
I’ve been in the game long enough to know more about Franken, the SASC, and the importance of words than you do about me apparently. If Sessions’ answer had simply addressed the question, that would be the end all of the issue (for now at least). As it is, we’re needlessly stuck in the middle...again. He’s the latest in a string of Trump affliates to make an avoidable gaffe. If you know you’re under attack, don’t give your proverbial enemy the ammo. That’s my point, no more, no less.
The quotes in this article are not the entire statement that he made. He made some sort of reference to the effect that he did not meet with the Russians regarding the campaign he never said I did not meet with the Russians on any matter whatsoever.
My grandmother came pre-revolution with her sister to be a nanny and met my German grandfather on the ship over. They married and she became a washerwoman and farmer.
Tyler swallowed the Lefts’ lies hook, line and sinker. Now I have to question his credibility and website.
Another person came by to say he didn’t think Zero Hedge was anti-Trump. From my limited experience over the last six weeks or so, they seemed very anti-Trump to me.
For what it’s worth, that was my take. Perhaps I’ve missed more favorable coverage by them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.