Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Meehan, Costello call on Sessions to recuse himself
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., calls for special counsel
Two suburban Philadelphia legislators who represent the majority of Chester and Delaware counties called on U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from accusations involving Russian contacts before the November presidential election, which he did.
U.S. Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-7, of Chadds Ford, and his fellow moderate GOP House member U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello, R-6, of West Goshen joined others calling for Sessions to recuse himself from any look into the contention that Russian officials might have intervened in the past presiden-
tial election.
Late Thursday afternoon, Sessions did just that, saying that on the advice of his own staff, he would not be involved in any investigations that involve the Trump campaign, including the Russian questions.
“The integrity of any Department of Justice investigation regarding Russian activities must be unassailable and must have the
confidence of the American people,” said Costello in a statement Thursday. “Given the circumstances as I understand them to be, Attorney General Sessions should recuse himself from such an investigation, and also clarify his testimony to the Senate before he was confirmed.”
Added Meehan, “The American people must be able to have confidence in the integrity of any inquiry into Russian activities and Attorney General Sessions’ involvement would undermine this confidence. The
Attorney General’s testimony during his confirmation has clearly been called into question by news reports indicating he met with the Russian Ambassador prior to the election. Attorney General Sessions should recuse himself and clarify the testimony he gave the Senate prior to his confirmation.”
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., is calling for a special counsel in the matter. But Republican Sen. Pat Toomey reiterated his support for Sessions.
Questions have surfaced with the revelation that Sessions met with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak twice last year. Sessions did not reveal those interactions during his confirmation hearings. Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was fired after it was discovered he had his own interactions with Kislyak.
The two GOP legislators join the likes of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-12, of Calif. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-23, of Calif., had called for Sessions to recuse himself but then toned down that sentiment.
“The American people must be able to have confidence in the integrity of any inquiry into Russian activities and Attorney General Sessions’ involvement would undermine this confidence,” Meehan said. “The Attorney General’s testimony during his confirmation has clearly been called into question by news reports indicating he met with the Russian Ambassador prior to the election. Attorney General Sessions should recuse himself and clarify the testimony he gave the Senate prior to his confirmation.”
Sen. Casey said that’s not enough as he advocated for an investigation headed by special counsel into the situation.
“In order to ensure the full independence and credibility of an investigation, it is critical that you recuse yourself,” Casey wrote in a letter addressed to Sessions today. “Current regulations ... establish the parameters for appointment of a Special Counsel and allow for the recusal of the Attorney General from this process. I believe that a senior career official in the Department of Justice, without political ties, should be responsible for the appointment of the Special Counsel to ensure the integrity of the investigation.”
“I have always known Jeff Sessions to be honest, ethical, and fair,” Toomey said in a statement. “Today, he has proven once again that this reputation is well deserved.
“Attorney General Sessions decided out of an abundance of caution, and to avoid even the appearance of partiality, to recuse himself from investigations related to the 2016 presidential campaign due to his advocacy for Donald Trump’s election.
“Attorney General Sessions explained that any communications he had with Russian envoys were in his role as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, not as a surrogate for the Trump campaign. Based on this, I do not think there is any reason to believe Jeff Sessions was less than truthful in his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“I continue to strongly support Jeff Sessions as Attorney General of the United States.
“Vladimir Putin is no friend to the United States. I look forward to the results of the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee investigation – led by Richard Burr and Dianne Feinstein – into Russian actions during the 2016 election.”