Comey also said he told Sessions that he did not want to be left alone with Trump, because he didn't think it was appropriate for the president and the Federal Bureau of Investigation director to have private meetings. "The suggestion that I participated in any collusion ... is an appalling and detestable lie".
The shushing came after this remarkable moment, where Sessions told Harris to slow her questions down because she was making him "nervous". During his testimony, the Attorney General was asked if he had been given some of the details about the "active measures" used by Russian Federation to interfere in the US elections - his answer was, no, as Sessions said he had stayed away from anything to do with the matter, to honor his recusal as Attorney General. Sessions testimony came days after fired FBI Director James Comey testified that he believed he was sacked as part of an effort to influence the agencies investigation into Russian meddling.
Former FBI Director James Comey, in a little-noticed moment during his Senate Intelligence Committee testimony last week, said Trump never once asked him about Russia's interference in the USA election as it related to national security during their nine conversations before he fired Comey in early May.
In a turnaround that Democrats don't find credible or persuasive, the president cited Comey's handling of the Clinton case as the initial explanation for firing him.
On the Late Show Tuesday, host Stephen Colbert dedicated his monologue to the testimony of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
At one point, Sen.
'The director's thinking was not clear, ' Sessions said, saying it would have been better had the investigation 'never been discussed publicly'.
Sessions also refused to answer whether any Justice Department officials had discussed possible presidential pardons of individuals being looked at in the Russian investigations.
Sessions replied, "I am not stonewalling". Gonzales said that he couldn't "recall" some 60 times in a hearing about the dismissal of federal prosecutors, accusations of coordination with the White House and overall Justice Department leadership. "I just don't remember it".
Attorney General's Selective Silence Deafens Senate Russia Inquiry
Sessions also admitted that neither he nor Rosenstein, Comey's direct supervisor, ever talked to Comey about his job performance. But I asked him to, because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel. "I don't know Sen".
"I am following the historic policies of the Department of Justice", he explained. Knowing Sessions would not answer the questions, Heinrich proceeded to accuse the attorney general of obstruction - allegations of obstruction having become a Democratic fetish now that the Obama administration is no longer in power and matters such as "Fast and Furious" and the IRS abuse of conservative groups are no longer the focus of congressional hearings. At one point, the normally soft-spoken Sessions tangled with Sen. And the attorney general's refusal to answer any individual question is not an invocation of the privilege; it is a pause to enable the president to determine whether to waive the privilege.
The nation's top law enforcement official - who has recused himself from all ongoing Russian Federation investigations - has himself become a focal point in congressional probes into the allegations of election meddling, in possible collusion with Trump's team, that have dogged the young administration.
As Mr Trump tried to shoo everyone out to talk alone with Mr Comey, Mr Sessions lingered, in Comey's account. "I did not attend any meetings at that event separate", Sessions said. White privilege? Cause I hear that's a thing. He did not say he was using executive privilege, but rather adhering to longstanding tradition of Justice Department leaders to refrain from revealing the contents of private conversations with the president.
Do you ever have any question about anything you wish to ask and get answer?
Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Del., asked Rosenstein: Why would the deputy attorney general have written a memo to Sessions that was "exclusively" about a matter from which Sessions was recused?
"The assertion that I did not answer Sen".
"It did not violate my recusal", Sessions responded loudly.
In addition, lawmakers wanted Rosenstein to spell out the scope of Sessions's other recusal, specifically with regard to the Russia investigation, which Sessions announced after reports emerged that he had not fully disclosed meetings with the Russian ambassador to the United States.
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