U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and Brooklyn Democratic Congressmembers Yvette Clarke and Jerrold Nadler today called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign following revelations regarding his contact with the Russian Ambassador and his decision to mislead Congress about those contacts during his Congressional confirmation hearings to the position as the nation’s chief law officer.
Sessions became ensanarled in the ongoing investigation of Russia’s involvement, including hacking Democratic emails and computers, and alleged collusion with Trump Administration officials affecting Trump’s victory in the recent election over Hillary Clinton.
The ongoing scandal has already seen the resignation of Trumps former National Security Advisor General Michael Flynn after misleading key officials about the nature of his telecommunications with Russian diplomats.
Sessions recused himself form the leading or being part of the ongoing investigation.
“Attorney General Sessions is right to recuse himself, but the fact is he should have done so the moment he was sworn in. The DOJ (Department of Justice) regulations that led him to recuse himself existed three weeks ago when I first asked him to do so and were just as dispositive then as they are now,” said Schumer.
“This episode has echoes of General Flynn’s firing and continues a troubling pattern with this administration. They only do the right thing when they are caught doing the wrong thing. The administration didn’t fire General Flynn until he was caught lying and the Attorney General didn’t recuse himself until he was caught misleading Congress.
“Given these facts, there is no choice but for Mr. Boente to appoint a special prosecutor. While Mr. Boente doesn’t have the long political ties to President Trump, he is still in the President’s chain of command and could be fired at will by the President, who has already fired the first person in this position. The DOJ regulations clearly require the appointment of a special prosecutor and the administration shouldn’t ignore clear regulations a second time.”
Clarke said when Sessions was nominated Attorney General she expressed serious concerns about his awful record on civil rights.
“As a political appointee to the Department of Justice who was sworn to uphold our laws, he referred to some of the nation’s leading civil rights organizations as ‘un-American,’ cited approval for the Ku Klux Klan, and demeaned his African American colleagues. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee found these comments alarming and refused to confirm his nomination as a federal judge, and the nomination was ultimately withdrawn. That record should have been disqualifying, as the position of chief law enforcement officer requires compassion and a genuine commitment to equality under the law,” said Clarke.
“Now we have learned that, contrary to testimony Jeff Sessions provided under oath to the Senate Judiciary Committee, he was in contact with agents of the Russian government during the 2016 Presidential Election, even as he was actively supporting Donald Trump’s campaign. As more details have become available, the influence of Vladimir Putin and the Russian government on the election has become undeniable. Jeff Sessions cannot credibly lead the Department of Justice. Therefore, he must resign from his current position. If he refuses, I urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to consider the possibility of impeachment and removal from office.”
Nadler said while it now goes without saying that Jeff Sessions must recuse himself from any investigation into Russia interference in the recent election, he believes for the good of the country, he should now resign.
“I, along with my Judiciary Committee colleagues, have today called for an immediate investigation into Attorney General Sessions possible commission of perjury in his Senate testimony. But whether he is ultimately found guilty of perjury or not, his behavior clearly renders him unable to conduct the duties of the office. The continued service of a tainted Attorney General would fundamentally undermine our democracy and the rule of law,” said Nadler.
“We must not forget that what we are talking about here is no small thing — the underlying issue is whether anyone currently serving in high public office colluded with a dangerous foreign power to subvert our democratic electoral process. This is, without question, a very serious matter of national security. There are a huge number of questions swirling around this that must be answered, including what role the man who is currently serving as our Attorney General had in any of this. Any criminal wrongdoing must be investigated by a special prosecutor, and the whole matter must be subject to an untainted, independent, bi-partisan investigation.”
