UPDATE: Sessions on Thursday afternoon recused himself from an investigation of alleged Russian election meddling, the New York Timesreported. Peep his full statement below, which we recommend reading in Sessions' voice for full comprehension:
Meanwhile, the "Alabamafication" of the country continues.
See original story below.
Jeff "Make America Alabama Again" Sessions spoke twice last year with Russia's ambassador to the United States, Justice Department officials told the Washington Post on Wednesday. Sessions, who was then a senator and is now Trump's attorney general, did not acknowledge these communications during his confirmation hearing.
Sessions spoke with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in July and September 2016, the Postreported. At the time, then-Sen. Sessions was a member of the Armed Services Committee and had already joined the Trump campaign. His spokesperson claimed this week that Sessions' confirmation hearing answer on the topic of communications with Russians included "nothing misleading." Instead, spokesperson Sarah Isgur Flores argued, Sessions took the meeting as an Armed Services Committee member and not as a member of the Trump team.
During his confirmation hearing on Jan. 10, Sessions was asked by Sen. Al Franken about a CNN story alleging that Russian operatives possessed "compromising personal and financial information" on Trump. The CNN story's cited documents also alleged a continuing exchange of information between Trump surrogates and Russian government intermediaries during the campaign. Asked by Franken what he would do if that continued exchange of information turned out to be true, Sessions said he was unaware of any such activity. "I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians, and I am unable to comment on it," he said at the time.
In a separate statement released by Flores on Wednesday night, Sessions—who was once denied a federal judgeship due to racism accusations—issued what the Post's Aaron Blake called a "remarkably misleading non-denial denial." See for yourself:
Speaking on the possibility of Sessions recusing himself from Russian ties investigations, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said we are far beyond recusal being sufficient. "Jeff Sessions lied under oath during his confirmation hearing before the Senate," Pelosi said in a statement. "Under penalty of perjury, he told the Senate Judiciary Committee, 'I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians.' We now know that statement is false." Pelosi and other top Democrats are now calling for Sessions to resign.
