TRUMP ADMINISTRATION Sessions recuses self from probe into Russia ties

Staff/wire report

WASHINGTON

Under intensifying pressure, Attorney General Jeff Sessions abruptly agreed Thursday to recuse himself from any investigation into Russian meddling in America’s 2016 presidential election. He acted after revelations he twice spoke with the Russian ambassador during the campaign and failed to say so when pressed by Congress.

Sessions rejected any suggestion that he had tried to mislead anyone about his contacts with the Russian, saying, “That is not my intent. That is not correct.”

But he did allow that he should have been more careful in his testimony during his confirmation hearing, saying, “I should have slowed down and said, ‘But I did meet one Russian official a couple of times.’”

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, both Democrats, called for Sessions to resign.

“Sessions has lost all credibility to serve as our nation’s top law-enforcement officer,” said Ryan, of Howland, D-13th. “The American people expect better from their government, and certainly deserve it.”

Ryan called on Republican leadership in Congress to form an independent commission and special prosecutor to fully investigate any connections between the Trump administration and Russian government officials. Sessions’ decision to recuse himself isn’t enough; he must resign, Ryan said.

“The lies must stop. This issue goes to the very heart of our democracy and must be investigated with full transparency,” he said.

Brown, of Cleveland, said: “It is deeply alarming that Attorney General Sessions would lie under oath especially concerning his dealings with the Russian ambassador, as both Republicans and Democrats have called for investigations into the Trump administration’s ties to Moscow.”

Recusal isn’t enough, Brown said.

“He must resign his post immediately,” Brown said of Sessions. “Ohioans deserve a top law-enforcement official they can trust, who doesn’t lie to the American people under oath.”

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican from the Cincinnati area, said: “I think Jeff Sessions did the right thing. His decision to recuse himself will enhance the credibility of the investigation into Russia’s attempts to meddle in the election.”

The White House has stood by Sessions in the latest controversy to dog President Donald Trump’s young administration, though officials say they first learned about his contacts with the ambassador from a reporter Wednesday night. Trump himself said Thursday he had “total” confidence in Sessions and didn’t think he needed to recuse himself – not long before he did.

Trump later laid the controversy at the feet of Democrats, saying they are trying to save face. “The Democrats are overplaying their hand,” he said in a statement Thursday night. “They lost the election and now, they have lost their grip on reality. The real story is all of the illegal leaks of classified and other information. It is a total witch hunt!”

One of Sessions’ conversations with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak occurred at a July event on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. At that same event, the ambassador also spoke with Carter Page, who briefly advised Trump’s campaign on foreign policy, according to a person with knowledge of the discussion.

Separately, a White House official said Thursday that Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn met with Kislyak at Trump Tower in New York in December. The official described that sit-down as a brief courtesy meeting.

Flynn was fired last month for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Kislyak.

The Trump team’s account of Flynn’s contacts with the ambassador has changed several times. The White House did not disclose the in-person meeting, or Kushner’s involvement, until Thursday.

Both the White House official and the person with knowledge of Page’s discussion insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly disclose the meetings.

Trump has been trailed for months by questions about potential ties to Russia, and allegations of Russian efforts to interfere in the U.S. election to help him defeat Hillary Clinton. The new president and his campaign officials have blamed such contentions on Democratic sore losers and have heatedly denied any contact with Russians concerning the election.

While there is nothing necessarily nefarious or even unusual about a member of Congress meeting with a foreign ambassador, typically members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee meet with foreign ambassadors, not Armed Services Committee lawmakers, such as Sessions, whose responsibility is oversight of the military and the Pentagon.

The latest development comes on the heels of what had been the high point of Trump’s young presidency: a well-received address to Congress Tuesday night that energized Republicans and appeared to wipe away some lawmakers’ concerns about the administration’s tumultuous start.

But Sessions faced a rising chorus of demands that he resolve the seeming contradiction between his two conversations in the summer and fall with Kislyak and his sworn statements to Congress in January, when he said he had not had communications with Russians during the campaign.

The Justice Department said he met with Kislyak in his role as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, not in his role as a Trump adviser with the campaign, and that led to his answers.

The attorney general, an early backer and key adviser for Trump’s campaign, said he decided to recuse himself for investigations that are underway and others to come after his staff urged him to do so. Acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente will handle such matters for now.