Coincidences are sometimes an amazing spectacle to behold. President Trump, who’s been bitter ever Jeff Sessions acted ethically, stepping away from the Russia investigation, publicly slammed Sessions in an interview with the New York Times saying he’d never have offered him the role of Attorney General if he knew Sessions would recuse himself.
Coincidentally, just two days later, the Washington Post is reporting this potential bombshell:
Russia’s ambassador to Washington told his superiors in Moscow that he discussed campaign-related matters, including policy issues important to Moscow, with Jeff Sessions during the 2016 presidential race, contrary to public assertions by the embattled attorney general, according to current and former U.S. officials.
Ambassador Sergey Kislyak’s accounts of two conversations with Sessions — then a top foreign policy adviser to Republican candidate Donald Trump — were intercepted by U.S. spy agencies, which monitor the communications of senior Russian officials both in the United States and in Russia. Sessions initially failed to disclose his contacts with Kislyak and then said that the meetings were not about the Trump campaign.
One U.S. official said that Sessions — who testified that he has no recollection of an April encounter — has provided “misleading” statements that are “contradicted by other evidence.” A former official said that the intelligence indicates that Sessions and Kislyak had “substantive” discussions on matters including Trump’s positions on Russia-related issues and prospects for U.S.-Russia relations in a Trump administration.
Under normal circumstances, Trump supporters would be apoplectic over this story. They’d scream about illegal leaks, the supposed “deep state” and how saboteurs in the media are working to undermine the Trump administration.
But after Trump’s comments on Wednesday, look for criticism if any, to be muted. In fact, if I were thinking like a Trumper, I’d argue the information was leaked by Trump administration officials to get Jeff Sessions to a point where he’d have to resign.
People were wondering if Sessions might leave in the wake of Trump’s comments, but Sessions said he’d stay on as long as it was “appropriate.”
Trump wants him out and this story may be the push that does it.
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