Analysis: AG Jeff Sessions defends Jeff Sessions. But what about Donald Trump?
WASHINGTON — More heat than light.
Five days after explosive testimony by former FBI director James Comey, Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday angrily denied any wrongdoing in his campaign contacts with Russian officials or the steps he later took at the Justice Department leading to Comey's ouster.
But Sessions refused to respond to a series of questions about President Trump's actions and motivations — including why he fired Comey, who then was leading the Russia investigation. In one provocative exchange, Sessions refused to answer when asked if he had held high-level discussions within the administration about issuing presidential pardons to any of those involved in the burgeoning controversy.
The 2-1/2-hour hearing took an increasingly sharp and partisan tone as the afternoon wore on.
"You are obstructing that congressional investigation by not answering these questions," Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) protested at one point. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) blasted at another: "The American people have had it with stonewalling" and said Session's explanation of the reasons for Comey's firing "didn't pass the smell test."
That provoked a bristling rebuke by Sessions, saying some of Comey's comments last Thursday had amounted to "secret innuendo being leaked out there about me, and I don't appreciate it."
The stand-off between the nation's highest law-enforcement official and the senators who used to be his colleagues was another extraordinary moment in an unprecedented time. At the end, what was clear was that much of this story still isn't clear — and that it isn't going to be over any time soon.
Still under investigation is whether Trump associates, among them former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, might have colluded with Russia in electoral meddling. And still at issue is whether Trump's actions in urging Comey to curtail the Flynn investigation and then to fire Comey might amount to obstruction of justice.
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The drama unfolding in the Senate hearing room continues to dominate the capital's attention and to overshadow Trump's policy agenda. Even the president reportedly watched the testimony on Air Force One as he flew to Wisconsin for an event. (Q: Any idea what the White House theme of this week is supposed to be? A: Workforce development.)
It also seems to be eroding Trump's standing with the public. On Tuesday, he set an unwelcome record for any modern president at this early point in his tenure when his disapproval rating in the Gallup Poll, based on a rolling three-day average, hit 60%. Thirty-six percent expressed approval.
While George W. Bush also reached a 60% negative rating during his presidency, it was during his second term and in the midst of an unpopular war.
In Tuesday's hearing, Sessions sought to refute key accusations that have surfaced about his behavior, especially the notion that he might have cooperated with Moscow's meddling in the 2016 election.
"The suggestion that I participated in any collusion or that I was aware of any collusion with the Russian government to hurt this country, which I have served with honor for over 35 years, or to undermine the integrity of our democratic process, is an appalling and detestable lie,” Sessions said in an indignant opening statement. He said he had no recollection of meeting with the Russian ambassador in April 2016 at the Mayflower Hotel, where Trump was giving a campaign speech.
But he didn't say flatly that there hadn't been a meeting. Earlier, Sessions was forced to amend testimony he gave at his confirmation hearing denying any contact with Russians after The Washington Post reported he had met with Russian officials in his Senate office and at the Republican convention.
He denied there was anything necessarily wrong with the president meeting one-on-one with the FBI director, a situation that Comey testified he found troubling. And Sessions called it "absurd" to suggest that he shouldn't have participated in deliberations over firing the FBI director, even though he had recused himself from the Russia investigation. "The scope of my recusal does not and cannot interfere with my ability to oversee the Department of Justice," he said.
As to a flurry of reports from Trump allies that the president might dismiss the Justice Department's special counsel, named in the wake of Comey's departure, Sessions did say he could "probably say with confidence" that he wouldn't dismiss Robert Mueller because of his recusal from the Russia investigation. "I wouldn't think that would be an appropriate thing for me to do," he said.
Did he have confidence in Mueller?
"I have confidence in Mr. Mueller," he said.
What about the president?
"I have no idea."
