Wednesday, CNN reported Attorney General Jeff Sessions did not disclose Russia meetings in his security clearance form.
Sessions, who met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at least two times last year, didn't note those interactions on the form, which requires him to list "any contact" he or his family had with a "foreign government" or its "representatives" over the past seven years, officials said.
The new information from the Justice Department is the latest example of Sessions failing to disclose contacts he had with Russian officials. He has come under withering criticism from Democrats following revelations that he did not disclose the same contacts with Kislyak during his Senate confirmation hearings earlier this year.
After CNN’s story aired, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice contacted them to say Sessions had been advised NOT to disclose the contact, something an expert CNN consulted disagreed with.
"As a United States Senator, the Attorney General met hundreds -- if not thousands -- of foreign dignitaries and their staff," spokesman Ian Prior said. "In filling out the SF-86 form, the Attorney General's staff consulted with those familiar with the process, as well as the FBI investigator handling the background check, and was instructed not to list meetings with foreign dignitaries and their staff connected with his Senate activities."
A legal expert who regularly assists officials in filling out the form disagrees with the Justice Department's explanation, suggesting that Sessions should have disclosed the meetings.
“My interpretation is that a member of Congress would still have to reveal the appropriate foreign government contacts notwithstanding it was on official business,” said Mark Zaid, a Washington attorney who specializes in national security law.
Congressman Jeff Duncan (SC-03) inexplicably took to his Facebook page to rail against CNN and the media, claiming the story was false and whining that the “media was never this critical to President Obama.” Snowflakes abound in the Republican Party, no? Anyway, CNN didn’t take kindly to Rep. Duncan’s statements and they issued a public smackdown on Twitter, making it crystal clear they stand by their reporting (as they should):
If you’re a constituent of Rep. Duncan in South Carolina, maybe give him a call, drop by his Facebook page or one of his offices and let him know what you think about him verbally attacking the media. Especially on the very day the headlines across the country are focused on a violent Republican candidate who violently assaulted a reporter for asking a question about the Republican health care plan. Rep. Jeff Duncan wants to hear from you.