UPDATE: As of Wednesday afternoon, a Senate committe has voted to advance the nomination of Jeff Sessions. Sessions now faces a full Senate vote.
President Trump arrived in Washington, DC last week with enough conflicts of interest to fill a cattle car. And if Senator Jeff Sessions gets confirmed as Attorney General, he’s going to have to deal with many of them.
During his confirmation hearing and in written follow-up questions, Senators on the Judiciary Committee pressed Sessions for answers on whether he would recuse himself from wrestling with a whole herd of Trump’s conflicts, given his role as a Trump’s political advisor and confidante. Sessions studiously sidestepped them all.
Apparently Sessions thinks D.C. stands for “Dodge City.”
“Given the extent of your involvement in President-Elect Trump’s political campaign, will you recuse yourself from any decision regarding whether to bring federal criminal prosecutions in connection with Russian hacking of the election?” asked Senator Feinstein, the committee’s ranking Democrat.
“I am not aware of a basis to recuse myself from such matters,” responded Sessions.
“Will you recuse yourself from conflicts of interest charges against the President-elect or members of his family?” asked Senator Leahy.
“I am not aware of a basis to recuse myself from such matters,” responded Sessions.
Will you recuse yourself if the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel finds that President Trump violated the Constitution’s ban on gifts or income from foreign governments or agents? asked Senator Durbin.
Same answer.
How about if the President or his family engage in insider trading in violation of the STOCK Act? asked Senator Blumenthal.
Same answer.
Sessions pleaded ignorance of any reasons to recuse himself on possible constitutional or ethical violations by the President or his family more than a dozen times.
When Senator Leahy pushed the issue, Sessions doubled down.
“If merely being a supporter of the President’s during the campaign warranted recusal…