Eastern Michigan University Political Science professor Ed Sidlow says there were no fireworks like there were last week with former FBI Director James Comey over conversations with President Donald Trump that Comey believed were meant to have him stop further investigation into Russian interference in US politics. Prompted by Burr to say that he had never been briefed about the F.B.I.'s investigation into Russian election interference, Sessions responded in the affirmative.
Sessions, a former Republican US senator and an early supporter of Trump's presidential campaign, is expected to be asked to explain why he told senators in January that he had no dealings with Russian officials past year while serving as an adviser to candidate Trump. "You're impeding this investigation", Heinrich said during this afternoon's Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.
As attorney general, he also wrote a letter recommending that Trump fire former FBI Director James Comey, who Trump later admitted to firing, in part, because Comey was digging into "the Russian Federation thing". That's what was meant by Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein when he said Director Comey usurped the role of the Department of Justice prosecutors.
"It was my best judgment that a fresh start at the Federal Bureau of Investigation was the appropriate thing to do", Sessions told the committee, yet he also revealed he did not inform Comey of his concerns related to his performance prior to Comey's termination.
Sessions told the Senate Intelligence Committee he could not discuss his conversations with Trump because they were private.
But in the rat-a-tat-tat of follow-up questions, Sessions slowly pried that door open again, by increasingly hedging his answers. Questions about a possible third meeting could prove to be a real problem, not only for Sessions, but also for the president, if it is ultimately shown to have occurred.
"I am not stonewalling", Sessions replied, saying he was simply following Justice Department policy not to discuss confidential communications with the president.
"I believe the American people have had it with stonewalling".
Two of the letters were sent when Comey was still director, and requested the FBI "investigate all contacts the Russian ambassador, or any other Russian officials, may have had with Attorney General Jeff Sessions or his staff".
Less than one week has passed since former FBI Director James Comey gave public testimony before the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee. "So, I need to be correct as best I can", Sessions said.
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What happened when Sessions left the room, and Trump allegedly pressed Comey to end an investigation? Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was planning to interrogate Sessions over his contacts with Russian officials, as well as the attorney general's current role in the FBI investigation into Russia meddling in the 2016 election.
Sessions thanked Cotton for the observation and said, "It's just like through the looking glass". "I have confidence in Mr. Mueller", he said.
"I was your colleague in this body for 20 years, at least some of you, and the suggestion -" Sessions paused for dramatic effect, as he often does - "that I participated in any collusion, that I was aware of any collusion with the Russian government, to hurt this country? ".
In the process, he appeared to blur the definition of what executive privilege is and how it works - and how it doesn't. Sessions added his own letter to that effect, and both documents were sent to Trump, who then fired Comey later on the same day, May 9.
"I have no knowledge of any such conversations by anyone connected to the Trump campaign", he added.
But the nation's top law enforcement official - who recommended Comey's dismissal last month - has himself become a focal point in the crisis roiling the White House. "I am following the historic policies of the Department of Justice", he said. Ron Wyden, D-OR, asked why Comey and his aides decided not to discuss the "president's actions" on the Russian Federation investigation with Sessions.
Democrats pressed Sessions repeatedly to say if he had discussed Russian Federation and Comey with Mr. Trump, but didn't get very far about those conversations between Sessions and the President.
Trump has also signaled his disappointment with Sessions in recent weeks, but for different reasons. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., asked whether Trump had expressed any frustration with Sessions about his decision to recuse himself from the Russian Federation investigation.
But not all of the members of the committee spent their time berating the attorney general or calling him a liar.
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