Attorney General Jeff Sessions recuses himself from investigations into Presidential campaign

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following a firestorm of criticism from the left – and even some stalwart Republicans – into possible discussions with the Russian Government as a part of the Donald Trump campaign, Attorney General Jeff Sessions says he won’t get involved in any investigations connected to Presidential campaigns or possible Russian meddling into the 2016 election.

Sessions today issued the following statement:

“During the course of the confirmation proceedings on my nomination to be Attorney General, I advised the Senate Judiciary Committee that ‘[i]f a specific matter arose where I believed my impartiality might reasonably be questioned, I would consult with Department ethics officials regarding the most appropriate way to proceed.’

“During the course of the last several weeks, I have met with the relevant senior career Department officials to discuss whether I should recuse myself from any matters arising from the campaigns for President of the United States.

“Having concluded those meetings today, I have decided to recuse myself from any existing or future investigations of any matters related in any way to the campaigns for President of the United States.

“I have taken no actions regarding any such matters, to the extent they exist.

“This announcement should not be interpreted as confirmation of the existence of any investigation or suggestive of the scope of any such investigation.

“Consistent with the succession order for the Department of Justice, Acting Deputy Attorney General and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Dana Boente shall act as and perform the functions of the Attorney General with respect to any matters from which I have recused myself to the extent they exist.”

Sessions denied any discussions with the Russians, but later it was revealed he did meet twice with a Russian ambassador.  Democrats are calling for Sessions to resign, but so far, Republicans have scoffed at the idea.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley released the following statement after Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ press conference this afternoon.

“First and foremost, any talk of resignation is nonsense.  We all know Attorney General Sessions to be an honest and forthright public servant.  When we spoke earlier this afternoon, between votes on the Senate floor, I suggested, as I did with Attorney General Lynch after she met with President Clinton on her airplane, that his recusal may be the best course of action.  He indicated that he had been consulting with the professionals at the department, and that he agreed. There’s little doubt that alleged conflicts, no matter how flimsy and regardless of whether or not they are based in fact, will be used against him to discredit him and any potential investigation into alleged conversations between the campaign and the Russian government.  So, his actions today were the right thing to do.

“And, I appreciate that he will be sending a letter to the committee, as I asked him to do, to clear up any confusion regarding his testimony so we can put this issue to bed once and for all.”

“Jeff Sessions is an honest man. He did not say anything wrong. He could have stated his response more accurately, but it was clearly not intentional. This whole narrative is a way of saving face for Democrats losing an election that everyone thought they were supposed to win. The Democrats are overplaying their hand. They lost the election and now, they have lost their grip on reality. The real story is all of the illegal leaks of classified and other information. It is a total witch hunt!”