Posted on 07/20/2017 1:22:47 PM PDT by blam
There is something more than a little jarring in the ongoing humiliation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
In an ill-timed, ill-focused interview with the NYT, President Trump revisited his disdain for Sessions, his first, most-ardent and most-loyal supporter in the Senate.
When supporting Trump was still considered career suicide, Sessions donned the red cap anyway. Maybe it will prove fatal for Sessions’ career, after all.
The president has not made a secret of the fact that he blames Sessions for the scandal that now engulfs the Trump administration, claiming in contravention of all available evidence that somehow if Sessions had not recused himself from the investigation into Trump’s 2016 campaign that his White House will not be under siege.
“How do you take a job and then recuse yourself?” Trump asked reporters rhetorically. “If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, ‘Thanks, Jeff, but I’m not going to take you.’ It’s extremely unfair – and that’s a mild word – to the president.”
Sessions seems an odd target for Trump’s blame, given how other members of his inner circle including his son, his son-in-law, his former campaign chairman and his former national security advisor have all laid the president open to the scrutiny of special counsel Robert Mueller.
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I too noticed that the only time Sessions got indignant is when he defended himself.
I believe it was during his appearance before the Senate committee in June 2017 that Sessions said he knew before he was confirmed as AG that he would have to recuse himself from any investigation into campaign collusion with Russia.
You’re not wrong. Anything about Sessions brings them out in droves and it’s not just here.
This guy Stierwalt has gone off the rails. The left’s conspiracy theories now possess them as they go about in berserk demonic dances. He blames all these people around Trump, when he should be blaming the DNC for conjuring up this farrago of Russian lies.
All the wiretaps and FBI agents didn’t find Russia and Trump for close to 2 years. Now there is a massive criminal collusion that escaped the worlds attention by the one individual who has been the target of the most detailed electron microscope proctology exam in the history of rectums. Nothing happened people, no treason, no conspiracy.
Stop blaming Junior or Jared. Anyone in the history of US politics would have taken that meeting with the Russia lawyer. So can we stop with the fainting couch routine?
Stirewalt shows none of his angry curiosity toward Hillary’s uranium orgy with Russia. Now there is pay to play Russian collusion, yet he renders no garments, nor faints upon any couch.
Hate Trump Syndrome, makes people violate their most sacred principles.
Sessions should have never recused himself, over some stupid chance unscheduled meetings with Russia diplomats. Loretta Lynch never recused herself, even with an unconscionable breach of regulations with meeting Clinton on the tarmac. Look at her hubris, and they actually did something wrong, and Sessions did nothing wrong and he let himself get bullied into it. It was a disservice to the nation, and it made our government weaker. Sessions literally admitted he was part of a scandal that never occurred, the DNC-Media mau-maued him into pleading guilty to a crime he nor Trump nor the campaign ever committed. He should have continued to say, ‘there will be no recusals’ just like Loretta did. I agree with Trump, and I thought Sessions would be tougher in the face of liberal bullshit. There is no crime, they have nothing, and now Mueller is looking into old real estate deals to come up with something. Its embarrassing.
By the way, Trump saying this does send the signal to others, that it is better to weather the bullshit that the DNC-Media throws at you, then to swallow it like Sessions did.
It was a non-meeting. Revise his testimony, it is not lying, it is a mistake, and certainly not worth a recusal.
The Dems scream about the speck in Sessions eye but fail to see the beam in Hillary’s.
I agree, Trump is innocent of these charges, which were created by the DNC the minute they lost the election.
Strive for justice and let the heavens fall.
Pompous Stirewalt regularly makes me throw up in my mouth.....
.....Megyn’s cohort!
There is (hopefully) a method to this seeming madness - else Trump would have fired or asked him to resign. He supposedly talked with Sessions before the interview - hopefully it is a piece of the puzzle that will end up with Mueller on the outside looking in.
Full text of Sessions Testimony on June 13, 2017
I don't see it in there, either. To me, the June testimony suggests (in particular the opening statement) that the decision to recuse was made after he was in the office, and after he consulted with career officials who specialize in conflict management.
FWIW, he didn't recuse from "Russia related" cases, even though that's the connection the press would have you adopt. Sessions recused from campaign-related cases.
Also relating to the timing of Sessions knowing he would "have to" recuse from Russia-related cases, in his confirmation hearing, in January, Durbin asked Sessions about recusing himself if, hypothetically (and Durbin used the word "hypothetical"), the Trump campaign was investigated. Sessions said he would look into it, and handle the situation on a case by case basis. From memory, his answer suggested he didn't think he had to recuse from those cases at all, but he was open to the possibility. Ahh, I posted the exact exchange in this post from Wednesday evening this week.
Maybe there is another answer in his January hearing where Sessions said he knew he would have to recuse from those cases, and I've been overlooking it, even though I searched the entire testimony for the word "recuse."
Of course I'm open to being corrected. If you can show me where, in either the January testimony (linked in previous post) or the June testimony (full text linked above) Sessions indicated that "he knew before he was confirmed that he would have to recuse himself from the Russia investigations (or campaign investigations) should he become AG," you will have brought me over to believe your contention is true.
My friend, listing to Stirewalt is like listening to the village idiot. He is wrong most of the time and I think he sleeps with the lights on.
As far as Sessions goes I am very disappointed. For all the same reasons stated by many on this thread.
listing +listening
Sigh, more coffee.
I'm not going to argue that DEMs follow the rules, but neither Lynch nor Holder were election campaign advisors to Obama. Sessions' recusal, from campaign-related cases, is covered by a DoJ regulation, 28 CFR 45.2.
See Jeff Sessions opening statement June 13, 2017. I posted the relevant excerpt, with context, in this post, yesterday afternoon.
When asked about his own actions, he answered about his own actions. While not naming Trump personally, he also went beyond his own actions and said that he didn;t know of or belive that anybody in the campaign was dealing with the Russians.
Let me state this clearly, colleagues. I have never met with or had any conversation with any Russians or any foreign officials concerning any type of interference with any campaign or election in the United States. Further, I have no knowledge of any such conversations by anyone connected to the Trump campaign.
-- Someone got to Sessions and gave him an offer he couldn't refuse. --
I understand the frustration, but your accusation there amount to Sessions being a dishonorable person. You would not be the only person who holds that view, and if you do, well, just come out and say it.
Trump needs a wartime consigliere and Sessions still has one foot in the swamp.
A wartime counselor would tell the media and dems to GFY when the asked him to recuse.
“Not to mention Sally Yates.”
Yes, better to not mention; not worthy of the words it would take to do so.
I just read the June transcript and wasn’t able to find it either.
When I posted I was repeating what was reported on Fox News a few days ago. I’ll try to do better in citing my sources of information.
No problem at all. I rarely research deeply myself, and I'm guilty of hundreds of erroneous statements myself. On occasion, when it matters to me (usually just for curiosity), I research. My rule of thumb is that the press NEVER gets it right. Or if it does, it's by accident.
The timing of Sessions knowing he would have to recuse from investigating the Trump campaign was of interest to me, because Trump accused Sessions of sand-bagging him on that point.
Jeff Sessions recused himself unnecessarily and weakened Trump by doing so. DISGUSTING!
YOU DO NOT RECUSE YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU SHOOK AN AMBASSADOR'S HAND OR MET WITH SAID AMBASSADOR FOR A STANDARD MEETING AS SENATOR.
THEN TO DO THAT WITHOUT GIVING TRUMP NOTICE OF HIS RECUSAL? Sessions did that because he wanted to be AG and KNEW Trump would withdraw his nomination. Sessions caved when a fighter would not have. And to the idiots who think this is no bid deal you are the reason Republicans cave so very easily all the time.
Sessions was an early supporter of Trump and for that I am grateful, but he may have been overpromoted. Despite his excellent credentials, this position may be beyond his experience and disposition.
I offer the following for its perceived value.
“After attending Wilcox County High School in nearby Camden, Sessions studied at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, graduating with a B.A. degree in 1969. He was active in the Young Republicans and was student body president.[8] Sessions attended the University of Alabama School of Law and graduated with a J.D. degree in 1973.[9]
Sessions entered private practice in Russellville and later in Mobile.[10][11] He also served in the Army Reserve in the 1970s with the rank of captain.[10]”
Wikipedia
___________________________
The University of Alabama School of Law (also known as Alabama Law) located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is a nationally ranked top-tier law school (First Tier) [3] and the only public law school in the state. In total, it is one of five law schools in the state, and one of three that are ABA accredited. According to Alabama’s official 2016 ABA-required disclosures, 75.9% of the Class of 2016 obtained full-time, long-term, JD-required employment nine months after graduation. An additional 13.8% of the Class of 2016 obtained JD-advantage employment. [4]
The diverse student body, of approximately 520, represent 174 undergraduate institutions from 23 states and Canada. Of the incoming class of 2012, approximately 40% were female and 15% were minority students.[5]
Wikipedia
Sessions recused himself because he shook the Russian Ambassador's hand at some hoity-toity DC party and for attending an Obama planned meeting with the said Ambassador. Then Sessions recused himself without informing his boss, the the CEO of the Executive Branch.
You support that?
I really like Sessions as a man. I would love to have dinner with him, but as my AG? Not so much.
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.