AG Sessions did not disclose meetings with Russian officials, DOJ says

[Skandulous]

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/24/politi...ngs/index.html

Washington (CNN)Attorney General Jeff Sessions did not disclose meetings he had last year with Russian officials when he applied for his security clearance, the Justice Department told CNN Wednesday.
Sessions, who met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at least two times last year, didn't note those interactions on the form, which requires him to list "any contact" he or his family had with a "foreign government" or its "representatives" over the past seven years, officials said.
The new information from the Justice Department is the latest example of Sessions failing to disclose contacts he had with Russian officials. He has come under withering criticism from Democrats following revelations that he did not disclose the same contacts with Kislyak during his Senate confirmation hearings earlier this year.
Sessions initially listed a year's worth of meetings with foreign officials on the security clearance form, according to Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores. But she says he and his staff were then told by an FBI employee who assisted in filling out the form, known as the SF-86, that he didn't need to list dozens of meetings with foreign ambassadors that happened in his capacity as a senator.
The FBI declined to comment for this story.

[Edge-]

More confirmation of this than actual news, as this came out during his hearings IIRC.

Oh well, just more of this administrations continued phobia of being honest.

[Lenonis]

And cue the horde of Trump propagandists saying "nothing to see here move along"

[Breccia]

In a related story, Sessions is still heavily involved in finding the new head of the FBI. Sounding more and more like a conflict of interest.

[Lenonis]

Sounding more and more like a conflict of interest.

Well...that kind of gets a big old "duh" from me given Sessions "recused" himself from the Russia stuff then kept poking around with it. This guy is a walking conflict of interest/obstruction of justice

[Orbitus]

Well...that kind of gets a big old "duh" from me given Sessions "recused" himself from the Russia stuff then kept poking around with it. This guy is a walking conflict of interest/obstruction of justice

Yep, isn't their pick the guy that works under Trump's new lawyer to defend against the Russia probe? Lieberman or whatever his name is? Yeah, that guy isn't going to get confirmed.

[Celista]

Well...that kind of gets a big old "duh" from me given Sessions "recused" himself from the Russia stuff then kept poking around with it. This guy is a walking conflict of interest/obstruction of justice

He really only recused himself due to mounting political pressure, mostly from the left. If Democrats didn't complain, then he'd still be actively involved in it--Republicans mostly complained about what they perceived to be a left-wing political witch hunt.

[Mormolyce]

And cue the horde of Trump propagandists saying "nothing to see here move along"

We should be talking about how Hillary stabbed Seth Rich in the back with a dagger made of frozen slice of Comet pizza.

Kim Dotcom told me so.

[announced]

old news, this came out during the hearing with Sessions.

[Lenonis]

And cue the horde of Trump propagandists saying "nothing to see here move along"

old news, this came out during the hearing with Sessions.

Like clockwork I tell ya!

[Cthulhu 2020]

Seems Sessions has a lot to hide.

I wonder if he'll throw Trump under the bus if they offer him immunity, or at least reduced sentence?

[Breccia]

Lieberman or whatever his name is? Yeah, that guy isn't going to get confirmed.

Trump and his team intentionally put themselves into a bad place.

Trump fired Comey while he and his team are under active investigation. This part is not disputed.

Problem is, now he can't put someone known to be favorable to him -- as in more loyal to Trump than the country -- into that spot. So no Giuliani, no Christie.

And he can't put a politician in that spot, either -- and even if he could, the names that kept coming up backed away from the idea in a hurry.

Normally a high-ranking head of law enforcement, current or former, would be ideal, but who? Mueller's kinda busy, Trump intentionally attacked the intelligence agencies multiple times unashamedly in public, and most major cities either lean blue, or fall headfirst into blue and splash around.

Plus...well, things are looking really bad for him right now. We're not yet at the point where I can say "who would climb aboard the Titanic?" but it's closer to "who would intentionally sign a contract to be in Ghost Rider 3? It'll make money, sure, but not nearly as much as you want, your career will be stained forever, and it'll be lucky to get (checks 538) 39% on RottenTomatoes."

And then the Sessions thing happened after all of that.

Honestly, I'm wondering when the GOP will just hand Trump a name, say "nominate that guy" and force him to take his medicine.

[Ripster42]

old news, this came out during the hearing with Sessions.

It carries a 10k fine and up to five years in prison. Why isn't the justice department going after him? Oh, ya, he's the head of the justice department.

[Breccia]

I wonder if he'll throw Trump under the bus if they offer him immunity, or at least reduced sentence?

Carter, Page, Manafort, Flynn, possibly now Sessions. At what point do you snap a pool cue in half and drop it in the middle of all of them?

[Matchles]

More confirmation of this than actual news, as this came out during his hearings IIRC.

Oh well, just more of this administrations continued phobia of being honest.

It is a bit more than that. He skirted the issue in the confirmation hearings by saying that he met the officials in his capacity as a Senator. For this form it doesn't matter how he met them, he was supposed to report the meetings (apparently except for those at foreign conferences, which these weren't). Lying on these forms is a crime.

[Breccia]

Lying on these forms is a crime.

And even if it wasn't, this is the opposite of what Trump needs right now. More of his team colluding with Russia and lying about it.

Bets on if Rosenstein's looking at a promotion?

[Anevers]

And even if it wasn't, this is the opposite of what Trump needs right now. More of his team colluding with Russia and lying about it.

Bets on if Rosenstein's looking at a promotion?

Take with a grain of salt...


https://twitter.com/TrueFactsStated/...64082730954753

[PersephoneDankles]

Is there anyone in the Trump administration that knows how to fill out a SF-86?

[PACOX]

I say they just try them all together and slap everyone with the toughest sentence.

[Deleted]

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/do...rticle/2624103

"As a United States Senator, the Attorney General met hundreds — if not thousands — of foreign dignitaries and their staff. In filling out the SF-86 form, the Attorney General's staff consulted with those familiar with the process, as well as the FBI investigator handling the background check, and was instructed not to list meetings with foreign dignitaries and their staff connected with his Senate activities," Justice Department Deputy Director of Public Affairs Ian Prior said in a statement Wednesday evening.

So, in other words.....ya, whatever.