Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Wednesday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions “must recuse himself immediately” from any investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
“Attorney General Sessions must recuse himself immediately,” Schumer said from the Senate floor. “Any investigation headed, directed by or influenced by the attorney general will be jaundiced from the very start.”
Schumer called for a “full, independent, impartial and transparent investigation” into the circumstances that led to Flynn’s resignation.
Flynn resigned as national security adviser late Monday, days after reports revealed that he spoke about sanctions with Russia’s ambassador to the United States before Trump took office.
This contradicted members of President Donald Trump’s administration, including Vice President Mike Pence, who previously denied that Flynn and the Russian ambassador discussed sanctions during their call.
“It is now readily apparent that General Flynn’s resignation is not the end of the story,” Schumer said on Wednesday. “It is merely the beginning of a much longer story.”
He said that if Sessions involved himself in the investigation it would be a “clear conflict of interest.”
“Justice Department regulations specifically prohibit individuals who have political ties to the subjects of an investigation from leading that investigation,” Schumer said. “Because the rules are so clear, I expect the attorney general will recuse himself and allow an independent and thorough investigation to go forward.”
