Donald Trump used the Department of Justice as a instrument of both propaganda and personal vengence, with Jefferson Sessions acting as hatchetman and head of a disinformation campaign. In these actions, both Trump and Sessions have erased the traditional barriers between White House and Justice Department, and created an entity that generates its own evidence ex nihilo and executes its own sentence without recourse. In doing so, Sessions coordinated directly with the White House, and worked as an instrument of Trump, without regard to either the facts or fairness.
All on a topic where he had supposedly recused himself from taking any action.
… an aide to Mr. Sessions approached a Capitol Hill staff member asking whether the staffer had any derogatory information about the F.B.I. director. The attorney general wanted one negative article a day in the news media about Mr. Comey, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting.
This disinformation effort was capped by Sessions’ participation in hiding the real reasons for Comey’s dismissal, as displayed in the original letter produced by Trump and Stephen Miller and its replacement with a knowingly inaccurate version created by Rod Rosenstein on Sessions’ order.
While the focus of articles over the last two days has been on the completely inappropriate, and supposedly unsuccessful, effort to keep Jefferson Sessions from recusing himself, the more important facts are that months after Sessions had supposedly stepped away from the subject, he was still acting as Donald Trump’s eager partner in attempting to slow, block, or eliminate the investigation. This collaboration between Trump and Sessions to interfere with the Russia investigation isn’t just obstruction, it’s first class corruption.
"I have absolute right to do what I want to do with the Justice Department.”
Trump not only said it, he’s demonstrated he believes it. And Sessions is helping to make it true.
Trump claims to have “absolute” control of the Justice Department as an instrument of his will. So it’s not surprising that White House Counsel Don McGahn stepped in to stop Sessions from recusing himself.
Mr. McGahn’s argument to Mr. Sessions that day was twofold: that he did not need to step aside from the inquiry until it was further along, and that recusing himself would not stop Democrats from saying he had lied. After Mr. Sessions told Mr. McGahn that career Justice Department officials had said he should step aside, Mr. McGahn said he understood and backed down.
But it’s since become abundantly clear that the recusal was not merely a face-saving move by Sessions, but an attempt at misdirection. If there was any actual intent to avoid the topic of the investigation, Sessions soon folded in the face of badgering from Trump. Despite all claims about Trump’s frustration over Sessions’ official recusal, there was not a moment’s hesitation when it came to finding the right person to rid Trump of the FBI director who refused to fold on command.
On Monday, May 8, Mr. Trump met with Mr. Sessions and Mr. Rosenstein to discuss firing Mr. Comey, and Mr. Rosenstein agreed to write his own memo outlining why Mr. Comey should be fired. Before writing it, he took a copy of the letter that Mr. Trump and Mr. Miller had drafted during the weekend in Bedminster.
The president fired Mr. Comey the following day.
The actual reasons for Comey’s firing, set down by Trump, have not been released to the public. The phony reasons for Comey’s dismissal—generated at Trump’s command—have been paraded in front of the news media in a deliberate and highly visible fraud. Sessions has continued to voice and support that fraud, both in public and in Senate testimony.
The firing of Comey took place a week before news of Trump trying to pressure the FBI director into dropping the investigation of Michael Flynn, but it was certainly not before Trump and others in the White House were aware of that effort. The immediate precursor to the firing was not some long-standing issue with the FBI’s handling of Hillary Clinton’s emails, as indicated in the Rosenstein letter, but Comey’s unwillingness to make a definitive public statement absolving Trump of involvement with Russia.
In addition to working with Trump to dismiss Comey, Sessions intervened again in June, when he testified that Comey had lied about efforts to extract a personal loyalty oath and again knowingly supported false statements about the reasons for the FBI director’s dismissal.
Following his supposed recusal, Sessions has continued to work hand in hand with Trump, and Trump’s attorneys, to impede investigation, demean those who spoke out against Trump, and spread information both men know to be untrue. All of this is in addition to Sessions’ own direct involvement in communicating with Russian officials prior to the election—meetings which Sessions initially denied and then mischaracterized in congressional testimony.
Sessions’s recusal is a pretense. It’s given him an undeserved patina of detachment while he’s continued to act directly as Trump’s hand—and it’s certain he will do so again. He’s not on the sidelines of the investigation, he’s standing ready to stop it when necessary.
A Trump—Sessions—Comey Timeline
6 Feb. 2016—Sessions becomes first senator to endorse Trump.
3 March 2016—Sessions named head of Trump’s National Security team, which includes George Papadopoulos.
5 July 2016—James Comey delivers hectoring rebuke of Hillary Clinton over handling of her emails, but says the FBI is not recommending that the Justice Department bring charges.
19 July 2016—Sessions meets with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during RNC-connected event.
8 Sep. 2016—Sessions holds prolonged meeting with Russian ambassador in Sessons’s Senate office.
28 Oct. 2018—Comey issues letter stating that the FBI is examining additional Clinton-related emails found on a laptop.
18 Nov. 2016—Sessions named as Trump’s choice for attorney general.
10 Jan. 2017—Sessions testifies that he did not have any communications with the Russians during his time on the campaign.
22 Jan. 2017—Trump brings Comey to White House, says he has become “more famous than me.”
27 Jan. 2017—Trump invites Comey to private dinner, during which he demands a pledge of personal loyalty. Comey later writes notes about this conversation and also mentions it to Andrew McCabe.
13 Feb. 2017—Michael Flynn fired after supposedly lying to Mike Pence about his discussions with Russian officials.
14 Feb. 2017—Trump brings Comey to Oval Office, asks him to drop any investigation of Flynn.
25 Feb. 2017—White House counsel Don McGahn calls Sessions to request that he not go through with recusal.
1 March 2017—First press accounts appear showing that Sessions met at least twice with Russian ambassador during the campaign.
2 March 2017—Sessions recuses himself from Russia investigation, citing his involvement with the campaign and transition teams as reason for recusal.
8 March 2017—Comey asks Justice Department to issue a denial of Trump’s claims that Obama wiretapped Trump Tower. Sessions does not respond.
20 March 2017—Comey confirms FBI investigation of Trump–Russia connection at House Intelligence hearing.
21 March 2017—Trump tells McGahn that he wants to fire Comey. McGahn aide Uttam Dhillon attempts to slow Trump, insisting that he needs cause.
3 May 2017—Comey testifies and again refuses to state that Trump is not subject of investigation.
3 May 2017—Trump attacks Sessions, insists that he’s not doing his job: Protect Trump.
5 May 2017—Sessions sends out aides in effort to collect information that can be used against Comey.
5 May 2017—Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein meets with McGahn deputy to discuss approaches for firing Comey.
7 May 2017—Trump watches tape of Comey testimony with Jared Kushner and Stephen Miller. Trump and Miller produce “belligerent” letter demanding Comey’s resignation, in which the first line mentions the “fabricated” Russia investigation.
8 May 2017—Trump meets with Sessions and Rosenstein. Rosenstein ordered to come up with letter to act as cover for Comey’s dismissal. Sessions and Rosenstein given a copy of Trump/Miller letter, which has still not been made public.
9 May 2017—Trump fires Comey and produces Rosenstein letter as excuse.
11 May 2017—Trump admits he was going to fire Comey even without an excuse.
12 May 2017—Trump issues threats against Comey, tweeting that Comey better hope there are “no tapes” of their conversations.
17 May 2017—Rosenstein appoints Robert Mueller as special counsel.
19 May 2017—Trump blasts Sessions after news of his demands to Comey become public. Sessions offers to resign, but Trump refuses.
8 June 2017—Comey testifies before Senate that Trump lied about the reason for his dismissal, citing the efforts to pressure him into dropping the Russia investigation and demanding loyalty.
9 June 2017—Sessions testifies for first time since claiming he had no contact with Russian officials, insists that Trump never asked for loyalty from Comey. Continues to support false narrative for Comey’s dismissal.
