Last week, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III dispatched a minion to inform those waiting on him to make an appearance before the House and Senate Appropriations Committee, that their hearing did not fit his busy schedule of cotillions. This … perturbed Senators greatly. However, Sessions has agreed to squeeze the Intelligence Committee into his Tuesday.
If the event is an open hearing, Sessions’s appearance would be the second Big Day before the Senate committee in as many weeks.
A lot of questions for Sessions cropped up after Comey's testimony last week. Senators from both sides want to know why Sessions was involved in the FBI director's firing, reports CBS News' Nancy Cordes.
But, while there’s still a chance that the hearing could be opened, the Intelligence Committee appears to be willing to keep Sessions out of sight. So the public will be locked out—but at least DC area bars will be spared having to think of Sessions-related names for cocktails.
There area lot of Senators anxious to speak with the Attorney General, especially since Sessions lied about his discussions with Russian officials the last time he showed up to speak. But even more interesting will be discovering whether Sessions is willing to enlighten everyone what was behind the FBI’s certainty that Sessions would recuse himself.
… Comey said, “Our judgment, as I recall, was that he was very close to and inevitably going to recuse himself for a variety of reasons. We also were aware of facts that I can’t discuss in an open setting that would make his continued engagement in a Russia-related investigation problematic.”
Sessions can also expect to be asked if getting involved in Comey’s firing was a violation of his recusal.
“That’s a question I can’t answer,” Comey replied. “I think it’s a reasonable question. If the president has said I was fired because of the Russia investigation, why was the attorney general involved in that chain? I don’t know.”
Sessions’ spokesperson is still maintaining that Sessions recused himself simply because he was involved in the Trump campaign, not for any mystery reason hinted at by Comey or because of yet another meeting with the Russian ambassador. That information may have popped up in the closed session Comey held with Senators following his open hearing last week.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions may have had a third, undisclosed interaction with Russian officials, former FBI Director James Comey has reportedly told senators.
In a closed hearing, Mr Comey told senators it is possible the Attorney General spoke with Russian officials three times over the course of the Trump campaign – interactions Mr Sessions neglected to mention when asked about his contact with Russians in a Senate confirmation hearing.
Also expect Sessions to be asked about his unwillingness to get between Trump and Comey, despite the FBI director’s plea that it was inappropriate for the two to talk in private.