Russia Scandal Means Sessions And His Justice Department Now Face A Choice
canada goose coats attorney general, Jeff Sessions canada goose outlet new york faces a potentially explosive situation: He was a top adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential canada goose outlet buffalo campaign, but he’s now overseeing the agency investigating members of that campaign. and former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who served with Sessions as a member of the Trump campaign’s national security advisory council. The FBI interviewed Flynn days into the Trump presidency, according to The New York Times, and reportedly had concerns about whether he was entirely forthcoming. Lying to the FBI is a felony. If the FBI investigation into Flynn’s conduct turns up wrongdoing, Sessions could be responsible for signing off on the prosecution. canada goose coats
Canada Goose Jackets Flynn, who resigned as national security adviser on Monday, denies intentionally mischaracterizing his conversations with the Russian ambassador. The incident, he said in his resignation letter, was due to the “fast pace of events.” Canada Goose Jackets
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Sessions’ relationship with the Trump campaign is especially relevant because Flynn’s contacts with Russian envoys reportedly canada goose factory outlet vancouver began before the election. Sessions was the first senator to endorse Trump. White House chief strategist Steve Bannon described Sessions as “the clearinghouse for policy and philosophy” in the Trump administration, and the “fiercest, most dedicated, and most loyal promoter in Congress of Trump’s agenda” during the election. Sessions regularly appeared with Trump on the campaign trail, and the Alabama senator formally nominated Trump at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July. canada goose outlet in montreal One of Sessions’ canada goose outlet online former aides became a senior canada goose outlet online uk adviser in the Trump White House.
Flynn resigned from his post only after a series of leaks revealed that he had mischaracterized canada goose outlet reviews the contents of his conversations with the Russian ambassador. After initially claiming that the discussion centered on setting up a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Flynn later admitted he discussed sanctions imposed by former President Barack Obama’s administration against Moscow canada goose outlet london uk after evidence of election related hacking.
canada goose Trump was notified less than a week after his inauguration that Flynn hadn’t told Vice President Mike Pence the truth about his contacts with the ambassador, White House officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. But Trump waited two weeks to ask for Flynn’s resignation. Flynn did not respond to a request for comment sent to an email listed as his in public records. sanction policy with the Russian ambassador, potentially sending mixed signals to Moscow while Obama was still president. It’s also not clear what other members of the Trump campaign discussed with contacts in Russia before the election. canada goose
Canada Goose Parka Asked during his confirmation hearing if he backed the intelligence community’s assessment that Moscow interfered with the election on behalf of Trump, Sessions was evasive. “I just canada goose jacket outlet uk know what the media says about it,” he said last month. Canada Goose Parka
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canada goose black friday sale There’s no law that says the attorney general must recuse him or herself from dealing with a case in the absence of a criminal investigation or prosecution. Rather, it’s up to Sessions to decide whether he can handle the issue fairly. As of now, one AG ethics expert said, Sessions doesn’t necessarily need to recuse himself. But Democratic lawmakers are concerned. canada goose black friday sale
Canada Goose Outlet The canada goose outlet houston Huffington Post sent several questions to a Justice Department spokesman about Sessions’ recusal plans. Had he consulted with Justice Department ethics officials about whether recusal would be canada goose outlet location appropriate? Would he recuse himself from any investigation into members of the Trump team? What about specific individuals Sessions had worked closely with? A department spokesman and a Sessions spokeswoman declined to comment. Canada Goose Outlet
canada goose clearance By not placing someone else in charge of the investigation, Sessions risks, at the very least, creating the appearance of impropriety. The Justice Department has previously made recusals public to reassure the public of the independence of an investigation and maintain the department’s image. (In one recent instance, the acting head of the Civil Rights Division recused himselffrom a voting case because he had offered legal advice to the state in question when he was in private practice.) canada goose clearance
Democrats, canada goose outlet edmonton who are worried that the Trump administration will stymie ongoing investigations into the president’s ties to Russia, asked Sessions during his confirmation hearing if he would recuse himself from cases related to Trump and canada goose outlet online reviews his advisers.
Canada Goose sale Sessions said he didn’t think he needed to. “I am not aware of a basis to recuse myself from such matters,” he wrote in response to Feinstein’s question. He canada goose vest outlet added that if a “specific matter arose where I believed my impartiality might reasonably canada goose outlet online store be questioned, I would consult with Department ethics officials regarding the most appropriate way to proceed.” Canada Goose sale
canadian goose jacket He also told Sen. canada goose outlet near me Patrick Leahy (D Vt.) that “if merely being a supporter of the President’s during the campaign warranted recusal from involvement in any matter involving him, then most typical presidential appointees would be unable to conduct their duties.” canadian goose jacket
canada goose coats on sale There is a regulation that bans DOJ employees canada goose jacket outlet from participating in a criminal investigation or prosecution if the person has a personal or political relationship with anyone “substantially involved” in the case. But the Justice canada goose outlet website legit Department has not announced any criminal proceedings. canada goose coats on sale
Canada Goose online “There is a presumption canada goose outlet real against recusal, and for a good reason,” said James Tierney, the former attorney general of Maine and an expert on AG ethics. “These people are there to make the tough decisions. That’s why you want canada goose outlet them there,” he said. Usually, canada goose outlet ottawa attorneys generals canada goose outlet las vegas need to recuse themselves only if they believe they can’t look at a matter fairly because they have personal feelings about canada goose outlet official the issue or people involved, “and these situations are very rare.” Canada Goose online
Tierney told HuffPost that, as of now, he doesn’t believe Sessions needs to recuse himself. He also pointed out that it’s more difficult for Sessions to recuse himself because the Senate has not confirmed a deputy attorney general who could handle the matter in his stead. As it stands, Tierney said, “I would assume he would not recuse.”
But Miller, the former Justice Department spokesman under http://www.mycanadagoosejacket.org the Obama administration, said that if Sessions doesn’t recuse himself, he risks prompting resignations at the Justice Department.
cheap Canada Goose Miller would like to see Sessions appoint a special prosecutor for a criminal investigation and for Congress to create an independent fact finding panel modeled after the 9/11 Commission. The benefit of the 9/11 Commission style panel, he said, is that it could reveal wrongdoing that wouldn’t amount to criminal charges. cheap Canada Goose
buy canada goose jacket “Whether the [Trump] campaign behaved appropriately, whether they coordinated with the Russian government there are things canada goose outlet in vancouver they could’ve done that might not be criminal violations that still would be fundamentally contrary to our democracy,” Miller said. “The American public has the right to know that.” buy canada goose jacket.