Sessions changes statement about Trump campaign and Russia

[webfact]

Sessions changes statement about Trump campaign and Russia

By Sarah N. Lynch and Warren Strobel

 

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Justice Department on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 14, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions acknowledged on Tuesday he was aware of contact between Donald Trump's election campaign and Russian intermediaries, again modifying a previous statement about the extent of connections to Moscow.

 

The comment by Sessions to a House of Representatives panel did not reveal any new link between the Trump team and Russia but it was another example of the top U.S. law enforcement official offering a different version of events as lawmakers try to work out if the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 election.

 

Sessions told the House Judiciary Committee that he now recalls a meeting last year with then-candidate Trump where a campaign adviser said he had connections with Moscow and could help arrange a Trump meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

"I do now recall" the meeting where adviser George Papadopoulos made the proposal, Sessions said, "but I have no clear recollection of the details of what he said during the meeting."

 

Sessions has previously told Congress he was unaware of any Trump campaign contacts with Russia, leading Democrats on Tuesday to accuse him of lying under oath.

 

"I will not accept and reject accusations that I have ever lied under oath. That is a lie," Sessions told the panel.

 

Accusations of collusion with Russia during the election campaign have dogged Trump's first 10 months in office.

 

Sessions' testimony appears likely to keep the controversy over Russia boiling as Special Counsel Robert Mueller accelerates his investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

 

Since Mueller's probe began, numerous Trump advisors have acknowledged interactions with Russian intermediaries. They include Donald Trump Jr., former campaign manager Paul Manafort, and Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner.

 

Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his interactions with Russian representatives.

 

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Moscow meddled in the 2016 election to help Republican Trump's campaign.

The Kremlin denies that and Trump says there was no collusion between his campaign and Russian officials.

 

TOUGH QUESTIONING

 

Sessions faced tough questioning from committee Democrats on Tuesday.

 

Representative Hakeem Jeffries accused Sessions of hypocrisy, saying Sessions, while he was a U.S. attorney, had prosecuted a police officer for perjury after the officer corrected his testimony.

 

"The Attorney General of the United States should not be held to a different standard than the young police officer whose life you ruined," Jefferies said.

 

That prompted an angry backlash from Sessions.

 

"Nobody! Nobody - not you or anyone else, should be prosecuted, not me. . .for answering a question the way I did in this hearing. I have always tried to answer the questions fairly and accurately."

 

During the March 2016 campaign meeting where Russia was discussed, Sessions shut down Papadopoulos' idea of engaging with Russian contacts, according to a source familiar with the matter.

 

Sessions said that was the version of events he recalled.

 

"After reading his account, and to the best of my recollection, I believe that I wanted to make clear to him that he was not authorized to represent the campaign with the Russian government, or any other foreign government, for that matter," Sessions said on Tuesday.

 

After that meeting, Sessions said, he did not have "any further knowledge" of additional contacts between the campaign and Russian officials.

 

It was not the first time that Sessions, who was a senior Trump campaign aide and Republican senator, has revised his comments about contact between the campaign and Russia.

 

He said during January's confirmation hearing that he was unaware of such communications.

 

News reports then emerged showing that Sessions had himself met Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak at least twice in 2016.

 

Under pressure, Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation. He told reporters he was "honest and correct" in his response in the hearing, although he acknowledged he should have mentioned he had met with the ambassador in his role as a senator.

 

Sessions also said on Tuesday he did not challenge a statement by another campaign foreign policy adviser, Carter Page, that he told Sessions in a brief encounter that he was about to leave for Moscow. But he said he had no memory of that conversation.

 

The hearing was starkly divided. Majority Republicans demanded that Sessions appoint a second special counsel to investigate a series of issues involving Trump's election rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton, including the sale of a uranium company to Russia while she was U.S. secretary of state.

 

Sessions was cautious on that score. When Republican Representative Jim Jordan detailed what the controversy "looks like" to him, the attorney general responded: "'Looks like' is not enough basis to appoint a special counsel."

 

Earlier, Sessions confirmed that he has asked senior federal prosecutors to look into the potential appointment of a second special counsel.

 

Democrats say that five congressional committees have looked into the uranium sale and found nothing improper.

(Editing by David Alexander and Alistair Bell)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-11-15

[Samui Bodoh]

Every time that Trump and\or his associates are asked about Russian connections, they deny it absolutely. Then, they are shown to be lying. 

 

This stinks badly. Really badly. Really, really badly.

 

Originally, I thought that it was merely strange that a few campaign officials had contacts with the Russians, but the more I learn it is frightening. 

 

Everything IS going to come out, and I fear for the USA when it does...

 

[lannarebirth]

22 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Every time that Trump and\or his associates are asked about Russian connections, they deny it absolutely. Then, they are shown to be lying. 

 

This stinks badly. Really badly. Really, really badly.

 

Originally, I thought that it was merely strange that a few campaign officials had contacts with the Russians, but the more I learn it is frightening. 

 

Everything IS going to come out, and I fear for the USA when it does...

 

 

Everything will most likely NOT come out about the ongoing influence of foreign governments in America's affairs of state. You should fear for America that it will not. As far as Trump goes though, then yeah, he's probably toast but the greater opportunity I'm afraid will be lost.

 

Remember this Lenin quote? “The Capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them.”

Edited November 15, 2017 by lannarebirth

[isaanbanhou]

[Boon Mee]

This witch hunt should have been shut down long ago. 

[selftaopath]

55 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Every time that Trump and\or his associates are asked about Russian connections, they deny it absolutely. Then, they are shown to be lying. 

 

This stinks badly. Really badly. Really, really badly.

 

Originally, I thought that it was merely strange that a few campaign officials had contacts with the Russians, but the more I learn it is frightening. 

 

Everything IS going to come out, and I fear for the USA when it does...

 

I fear for America now. 45 and his regime are doing irreparable damage to our institutions and cultural psyche. This entire regime shows total disdain for The U.S. Constitution. 

[Langsuan Man]

32 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

This witch hunt should have been shut down long ago. 

If the hat fits, wear it.....

 

[klauskunkel]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

"I will not accept and reject accusations that I have ever lied under oath. That is a lie," Sessions told the panel.

..., but if you are lying right now...

[Ron19]

A post containing a doctored image has been removed.

[selftaopath]

1 hour ago, klauskunkel said:

..., but if you are lying right now...

 

[helpisgood]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Sessions told the House Judiciary Committee that he now recalls a meeting last year with then-candidate Trump where a campaign adviser said he had connections with Moscow and could help arrange a Trump meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Should not someone who is the top prosecutor of the US govt. have made a strong mental note of this offering of arranging a meeting with, of all countries, the Russian president?  What kind of attorney general is he?  His mind should be trained to focus on such problematic events.  Geez, Counsel, are you really paying attention?

 

Plus, he didn't recall the meetings with the Russian ambassador?  I think remembering well what transpired with the Russian representative, and not that long ago, was part of then-Sen. Sessions' job.   

 

It seems to me, thus, that the AG has either misrepresented the truth or lacks the competence to be the AG.

Edited November 15, 2017 by helpisgood
punctuation

[selftaopath]

11 minutes ago, helpisgood said:

Should not someone who is the top prosecutor of the US govt. have made a strong mental note of this offering of arranging a meeting with, of all countries, the Russian president?  What kind of attorney general is he?  His mind should be trained to focus on such problematic events.  Geez, Counsel, are you really paying attention?

 

Plus, he didn't recall the meetings with the Russian ambassador?  I think remembering well what transpired with the Russian representative, and not that long ago, was part of then-Sen. Sessions' job.   

 

It seems to me, thus, that the AG has either misrepresented the truth or lacks the competence to be the AG.

The ONLY thing required of any 45 appointment/team member etc. is TOTAL loyalty to the Liar in Chief - and loyalty over The U.S. Constitution or America. 

 

[mike324]

like Trump says, drain the swamp. Pot calling the kettle back.

[boomerangutang]

3 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Every time that Trump and\or his associates are asked about Russian connections, they deny it absolutely. Then, they are shown to be lying. 

This stinks badly. Really badly. Really, really badly.

Originally, I thought that it was merely strange that a few campaign officials had contacts with the Russians, but the more I learn it is frightening. 

Everything IS going to come out, and I fear for the USA when it does...

I agree, except with the word 'everything' in your closing sentence.

 

Though Mueller's team are great at what they do, I worry that they will purposefully skirt around some important issues - due to their being too inflamatory.  Items like Trump's finances/money laundering, and Ivanka's involvement (Legislators hate to incriminate a pretty young mother).  Trump has also been deeply involved with mafia-like people like Felix Sater, but again, I suspect Mueller's team will steer clear of that shoal.  

 

Sessions shouldn't be getting a taxpayer-paid salary.  If I owned a shop in Podunk Arkansas, I wouldn't hire Sessions to sweep the floor. 

[Jonnapat]

And Trump still has the nerve to keep tweeting about ""crooked Hillary"".

What a shower of s--t.

 

 

[Becker]

28 minutes ago, Jonnapat said:

And Trump still has the nerve to keep tweeting about ""crooked Hillary"".

What a shower of s--t.

 

 

Apparently he's more into a shower of urine.

[craigt3365]

4 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

This witch hunt should have been shut down long ago. 

So you deny all this also?  Sad state of affairs when people ignore reality just for the sake of politics.

[Baerboxer]

3 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

..., but if you are lying right now...

 

If a liar says he's lying is he telling the truth or lying? 

[retarius]

Trump,, fire this idiot and use a recess appointment to appoint another AG.

[craigt3365]

42 minutes ago, retarius said:

Trump,, fire this idiot and use a recess appointment to appoint another AG.

Though I don't like his performance in these investigation hearings, he did start the Russian probes by recusing himself.  That allowed Muller to be appointed. 

 

He's also backing off this BS witch hunt to go after Hillary.  He specifically stated it wasn't a good idea.

 

So in a way, he's doing OK.  Barely....LOL

[dunroaming]

9 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

This witch hunt should have been shut down long ago. 

Well we all want closure and the sooner Trump is nailed the better for all.  Every day that passes Trump does more and more to cripple the USA's reputation.

[scorecard]

6 hours ago, selftaopath said:

 

 

And then I'll change the definition as needed and when I suddenly (conveniently) recall a previously forgotten meeting, etc., etc.

 

How can the US accept this man as the attorney general of the US? 

 

This position should be seen as the epitome of cleanness and credibility and fair justice for all, therefore needing incumbents who have no baggage whatever. 

[Skeptic7]

10 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

This witch hunt should have been shut down long ago. 

NOT when there are actual "witches"! 

[Sir Swagman]

10 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

This witch hunt should have been shut down long ago. 

It was - sometime after the insanity at Salem. This administration is no witch, and this is an investigation is not a 'hunt'. 

[riclag]

Rudy Giuliani should of had this job.This Session's guy along with all the other Dem's and GOP are  all wasting money and America's time.

 

Nothing is going to happen to any of these politician's especially Sessions. 

It's all one big corrupt family 

[Trouble]

16 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

Every time that Trump and\or his associates are asked about Russian connections, they deny it absolutely. Then, they are shown to be lying. 

 

This stinks badly. Really badly. Really, really badly.

 

Originally, I thought that it was merely strange that a few campaign officials had contacts with the Russians, but the more I learn it is frightening. 

 

Everything IS going to come out, and I fear for the USA when it does...

 

If sitting in on a meeting where some guy mentions setting up a meeting between Trump and Putin and is shot down, that is not, in my mind, Trumps campaign having connections or colluding with the Russians.  If some guy mentions in passing he is going to Russia to give a speech, that is not colluding or connecting with the Russians. It's idiotic trying to connect those dots to some kind of perjury on the part of Sessions.  It's political posturing by imbecile congressmen.

 

You bet everything will come out and the sooner the better.  After a year, two houses of Congress, the FBI, and now Mueller investigating and not even a hint that something nefarious occurred, either our investigative resources are inept or there is nothing.  

 

More interesting are the actions of the DNC, both Clintons, Clinton Foundation, and the uranium deal.  Barbara Brazile's book sure blew the lid off that bunch of weasels in the Clinton campaign and the DNC, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.  Talk about fixing things.

[selftaopath]

I just read an article that might merit consideration of implementing. I'm inclined to agree (two Americas) with it. Are you?

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/now-is-the-perfect-time-for-the-north-and-south-to_us_5a0a7d78e4b00652392183ab

[klikster]

1 hour ago, selftaopath said:

I just read an article that might merit consideration of implementing. I'm inclined to agree (two Americas) with it. Are you?

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/now-is-the-perfect-time-for-the-north-and-south-to_us_5a0a7d78e4b00652392183ab

Not only no, but HELL NO!

 

[FreddieRoyle]

On 11/15/2017 at 7:28 AM, Boon Mee said:

This witch hunt should have been shut down long ago. 

It will be interesting seeing the Dems and their supporters walking back these Russian accusations when the time comes. I mean, it's not as if they can keep blaming every unfortunate circumstance on the pesky Russians and remain believable. It's even catching across the pond with some very gullible lefties blaming Brexit on Russian trolls and some European election results also. The left are not very good at accepting defeat, can we say that?

[craigt3365]

3 minutes ago, FreddieRoyle said:

It will be interesting seeing the Dems and their supporters walking back these Russian accusations when the time comes. I mean, it's not as if they can keep blaming every unfortunate circumstance on the pesky Russians and remain believable. It's even catching across the pond with some very gullible lefties blaming Brexit on Russian trolls and some European election results also. The left are not very good at accepting defeat, can we say that?

Don't politicize this.  It's not just "Dems" who want this investigated.  It's Republicans, independents and average Americans who just want the truth.  You should too. Sadly, hard core Trump supporters don't care.  But too much has come out to say there is nothing of substance here.

 

What a strange post...again.