MADISON – Attorney General Jeff Sessions lied about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States during the Presidential campaign. Sessions, an early supporter of Donald Trump, lied in writing and under oath about his Russian contacts.
At his confirmation hearing, Sessions said, “I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not communications with the Russians,” Session told Sen. Al Franken (D-MN).
This news has undoubtedly sparked some controversy, and calls for Sessions to recuse himself from an investigation into the Russian interference of the U.S. Presidential election and also resign from his post.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) who voted “no” to confirm Sessions, said she had serious concerns about Sessions’ record for LGBTQ rights. Last month, the openly-gay Senator told Huffington Post:
“[There have been] a rampant number of instances of discrimination and hate crimes experienced by the LGBT community – and given Sen. Sessions record, both proior to his time in the senate and as a senator, opposing the expansion of hate crimes law, it gives me great concern,” she said. “It’s at a time when I believe we actually need to increase resources and focus on that part of the department of justice.”
Today, Sen. Baldwin affirmed her previous statement by saying, “If America’s top law enforcement official and the Trump Administration are truly committed to law and order, they will understand that this principle starts with them. It is deeply disturbing that Attorney General Sessions was not open and honest with the Senate and the American people about his communications with the Russian government while out American intelligence community and law enforcement were conducting investigations of possible ties between Trump associates and Russia, and Vladimir Putin and the Russian government’s intervention in our election.”
According to the Associated Press and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “If reports are accurate that Attorney General Sessions — a prominent surrogate for Donald Trump — met with Ambassador Kislyak during the campaign, and failed to disclose this fact during his confirmation, it is essential that he recuse himself from any role in the investigation of Trump campaign ties to the Russians,” said Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. “This is not even a close call; it is a must.”
One local group is called in top GOP officials to ask Sessions some important questions, and tell the truth. One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross suggested Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson needs to answer three questions about the scandal.
“These are simple questions for Sen. Ron Johnson to answer,” said Ross. “They should be answered immediately.”
- As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as a member and now Chair of the Homeland Security Committee, have you personally met with any government officials from Russia, and if so, when?
- Should Attorney General Jeff Sessions resign?
- Why didn’t you listen to the words of Coretta Scott King and reject Jeff Sessions’s nomination as Attorney General in the first place?
Sen. Ron Johnson voted to confirm Sessions as U.S. Attorney General in February and released the following statement, “I know Senator Sessions to be a man of integrity with a deep commitment to justice and the rule of law. I was pleased to support his confirmation today, and I look forward to working with him as our next attorney general.”
Today, Theo Keith, a reporter at Fox 6 News, reported that Sen. Johnson says a special prosecutor in Trump-Russia probe might be appropriate “at some point,” but wasn’t specific.
