Sessions hearing: Lots of anger, few answers
The political drama over Russia inquiries only gets deeper
More heat than light.
Five days after explosive testimony by former FBI director James Comey, Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday angrily denied any wrongdoing in his campaign contacts with Russian officials or the steps he later took at the Justice Department leading to Comey’s ouster.
But Sessions refused to respond to questions about President Trump’s actions and motivations — including why he fired Comey, who then was leading the Russia investigation. In one provocative exchange, Sessions refused to answer when asked if he had held high-level discussions within the administration about issuing presidential pardons to any of those involved in the burgeoning controversy.
The 21⁄ 2- hour hearing took an increasingly sharp and partisan tone as the afternoon wore on.
“You are obstructing that congressional investigation by not answering these questions,” Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., protested at one point. Sen. Ron Wyden, D- Ore., blasted that “the American people have had it with stonewalling ” and that Session’s explanation for firing Comey “didn’t pass the smell test.”
That provoked a bristling rebuke by Sessions, who said some of Comey’s comments last week had amounted to “secret innuendo being leaked out there about me, and I don’t appreciate it.”
The standoff between the nation’s highest law enforcement official and the senators who used to be his colleagues was another extraordinary moment in an unprecedented time. At the end, what was clear was that much of this story still isn’t clear — and that it isn’t going to be over anytime soon.
Still under investigation is whether Trump associates, among them former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, might have colluded with Russia in election meddling. And still at issue is whether Trump’s actions in urging Comey to cur- tail the Flynn investigation and then to fire Comey might amount to obstruction of justice.
The drama unfolding in the Senate hearing room continues to dominate the capital’s attention and to overshadow Trump’s policy agenda. Even the president reportedly watched the testimony on Air Force One as he flew to Wisconsin for an event. (Q: Any idea what the White House theme of this week is supposed to be? A: Workforce development.)
It also seems to be eroding Trump’s standing with the public. On Tuesday, he set an unwelcome record for any modern president at this point in his tenure when his disapproval rating in the Gallup Poll, based on a rolling threeday average, hit 60%. Thirty-six percent expressed approval.
In Tuesday’s hearing, Sessions sought to refute key accusations that have surfaced about his behavior, especially the notion that he might have cooperated with Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 election.
“The suggestion that I participated in any collusion or that I was aware of any collusion with the Russian government to hurt this country, which I have served with honor for over 35 years, or to undermine the integrity of our democratic process, is an appalling and detestable lie,” Sessions said in his opening statement. He said he had no recollection of meeting with the Russian ambassador in April 2016 at the Mayflower Hotel, where Trump was giving a campaign speech. But he didn’t say flatly that there hadn’t been a meeting.
As to a flurry of reports from Trump allies that the president might dismiss the Justice Department’s special counsel, Robert Mueller, Sessions did say that because he recused himself from the Russia investigation, he could “probably say with confidence” that he wouldn’t dismiss Mueller. “I wouldn’t think that would be an appropriate thing for me to do,” he said.
Did he have confidence in Mueller?
“I have confidence in Mr. Mueller,” he said. What about the president? “I have no idea.”