Al Franken censures AG Sessions: Yeah, about that question on Russia I asked you, Jeff

Trump and Putin share a special moment.

By Leslie Salzillo  

Wednesday Mar 01, 2017 · 11:52 PM USMST
Daily Kos 

U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-MN) made a statement Wednesday night following the breaking news via The Washington Post  alleging U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had met with Russian envoy twice last year. This was information Sessions failed to disclose during his confirmation hearings. In fact, during those hearings, Franken asked Sessions flat out if he had been in communication with Russia knew of anyone who had been, and Sessions flat out denied it. Here’s exactly what Sessions said on January 10.

“I’m not aware of any of those activities,” he responded. He added: “I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians.”

Franken, in his statement Wednesday night says, “at best” Jeff Sessions misled. But those of us who know and love the senator, are keen that Franken is being polite and most likely wants to say, “in fact” Jeff Sessions is a liar.” Here is Al Franken’s statement via his Facebook page. 

U.S. Senator Al Franken 

Many Americans are rightly concerned by the Trump team’s close ties with the Russian government and the role that Russia played in interfering with our presidential election. There’s a dark cloud over the Trump administration and there are a lot of questions still unanswered. 

 When then-Senator Jeff Sessions testified under oath during his confirmation hearing to become attorney general, he explicitly told me that he had not been in contact with Russian officials in the course of the presidential campaign. But according to a report from the Washington Post, he actually met with the Russian Ambassador during that time period. If that's true, then I am very troubled that his response to my questioning during his confirmation hearing was, at best, misleading. 

In light of these revelations, I'm going to be directly pressing Attorney General Sessions to answer some tough questions about his contact with Russia and his testimony before the Judiciary Committee.

The American people deserve to know the truth about what happened between Russia and the Trump team, and I believe we need thorough and impartial investigations to get to the bottom of it. It's clearer than ever now that the attorney general cannot, in good faith, oversee an investigation at the Department of Justice and the FBI of the Trump-Russia connection, and he must recuse himself immediately.

Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also made a statement Wednesday night saying Jeff Sessions is “unfit to serve as the top law enforcement officer of our country and must resign.” 

PRESS RELEASES  03.02.17 

Pelosi Statement on Attorney General Sessions’ Apparent Perjury on Russian Meetings 

Washington, D.C. — Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement after it was reported that Jeff Sessions lied under oath to the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearings about meetings with Russian officials: 

“Jeff Sessions lied under oath during his confirmation hearing before the Senate.  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.

“Attorney General Sessions has never had the credibility to oversee the FBI investigation of senior Trump officials’ ties to the Russians.  That is why Democrats have consistently called for Sessions to recuse himself from any oversight of the investigation.

“Now, after lying under oath to Congress about his own communications with the Russians, the Attorney General must resign.  Sessions is not fit to serve as the top law enforcement officer of our country and must resign.  There must be an independent, bipartisan, outside commission to investigate the Trump political, personal and financial connections to the Russians.”

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