Sessions denies he lied about Russia
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday again denied lying to Congress about the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, saying he had forgotten about a campaign round-table in which an aide touted his Russian connections and suggested arranging a meeting for Donald Trump in Moscow.
But even as Sessions remained hazy on the details, he was adamant that he had swiftly rejected the aide’s suggestion.
“I have always told the truth,” Sessions told the House Judiciary Committee, adding that he stood by his previous testimony
because “I had no recollection of this meeting until I saw these news reports.”
Sessions, a former senator and an architect of Trump’s policies on trade and immigration, was supposed to be an influential force in the administration. Instead, he has twice amended his sworn testimony, creating a distraction for the White House and renewing questions about whether the administration is concealing its connections with Russia.
A special counsel, Robert Mueller, is investigating whether anyone close to Trump worked with Russian operatives to influence last year’s presidential election.
‘No clear recollection’
In October, Sessions testified that he knew of nobody in the Trump campaign who had contacts with Russians. “And I don’t believe it happened,” he said then.
Court documents in the special counsel investigation have since shown that Sessions led a roundtable discussion last year in which a campaign aide, George Papadopoulos, discussed his Russian ties and suggested setting up a meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin, the Russian president.
Sessions said he now remembers the round-table discussion and that Papadopoulos attended, but, he said, “I have no clear recollection of the details of what he said.” Sessions seemed more certain about his own response to Papadopoulos: “I pushed back against his suggestion.”
He offered an impassioned defense of his previous testimony, saying he did not intentionally mislead anyone about fleeting and forgotten meetings.
“You’re accusing me of lying about that?” he said. “I would say that’s not fair, colleagues.”
“I don’t think it is right to accuse me of doing something wrong,” he added.
Democrats criticized Sessions for what they said was repeatedly making inaccurate statements. During his confirmation hearings in January, Sessions told the Senate that he had not had any contact with Russians. He has since acknowledged meeting privately with the Russian ambassador. Sessions said again Tuesday that he believed the question was asked in the context of Russian election interference, and he answered in that spirit.
Congressional Republicans, who have consistently been his most important allies, came to Sessions’ defense. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” Rep. Ron DeSantis of Florida said. When it appeared earlier this year that Trump was about to fire him, his former Senate colleagues formed a human shield, saying they would not confirm a replacement.
Sessions has fallen from favor at the White House, where Trump blames him for Mueller’s investigation. The president believes that if Sessions had not recused himself from the Russia investigation, there would have been no need for a special counsel. White House officials believe Sessions’ poor performances before Congress have only made things worse.
Clinton investigation
Even as Trump has acknowledged that he is not supposed to involve himself in Justice Department decision making, he has called for prosecutors to investigate Hillary Clinton and members of the Obama administration.
Sessions appeared to have received the message. In a Nov. 13 letter sent to the House Judiciary Committee, the Justice Department said it would examine allegations that donations to the Clinton Foundation influenced a 2010 decision to allow a Russian agency to buy a Canadian company that owned access to uranium in the United States.
Sessions sidestepped questions about whether the president’s comments were appropriate.
“I have not been improperly influenced and would not be improperly influenced. The president speaks his mind. He’s a bold and direct about what he says,” Sessions said. “We do our duty every day based on the law and the facts.”
The letter regarding the uranium deal gave a boost to conservatives who have been calling for a special counsel to investigate Clinton. But Sessions did not entirely endorse the idea. When Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said it looked like there was already enough evidence to investigate, Sessions responded: “‘Looks like’ is not enough basis to appoint a special counsel.”
Several Republicans also urged Sessions to crack down on leaks of classified information by government employees, arguing that they are a scandal unto themselves. Sessions said the Justice Department had increased the number of leak investigations to 27, up from nine, since he became attorney general.
“We intend to get to the bottom of these leaks. I think it has reached epidemic proportions,” Sessions said. “It cannot be allowed to continue and we will do our best effort to ensure it does not continue.”
Democrats repeatedly questioned Sessions’ independence and honesty. “I don’t want to hear in a few days or a few weeks that your answers, Mr. Attorney General, have changed,” said Rep. Luis Gutiérrez of Illinois.
“You’re accusing me of lying about that? I would say that’s not fair, colleagues. I don’t think it is right to accuse me of doing something wrong.” Attorney General Jeff Sessions