GOP Sen. Has No Concerns ‘At All’ About Sessions’ Statements Under Oath

UNITED STATES - JANUARY 21: Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, attends a news conference in the Capitol to criticize the administration's dealings with Iran, January 21, 2016. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Ca... UNITED STATES - JANUARY 21: Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, attends a news conference in the Capitol to criticize the administration's dealings with Iran, January 21, 2016. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images) MORE LESS
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Alice Ollstein contributed reporting.

Sen. James Risch (R-ID) said on Thursday that he has no concerns “at all” that Attorney General Jeff Sessions could have misled or lied to a Senate committee during his confirmation hearing when he claimed that he did not have contact with Russia before the election.

Asked if he had concerns that Sessions misled the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing in January, Risch told TPM: “None at all.”

“No, none at all. I’m on Foreign Relations and on Intelligence,” he added, referring to the Senate committees. “In the last 24 months I’ve met with high-ranking officials from half the countries on the face of this earth. If you asked me which ones I did, I couldn’t tell.”

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) also said Thursday there was no evidence that Sessions lied under oath.

“We really don’t know what the facts are,” he said. “That’s why I’m saying the investigation ought to be completed.”

Sessions denied in a written questionnaire and during his Senate confirmation hearing in January that he had “communications with Russians.” On Thursday, however, Sessions’ spokeswoman confirmed that Sessions met twice before the election with Russia’s ambassador to the United States.

Sessions denied in a statement released Wednesday that he discussed “issues of the campaign” with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

“I have no idea what this allegation is about,” the Attorney General said. “It is false.”

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Notable Replies

  1. You’re going to regret this statement, you wrinkled partisan corrupt asshole.

  2. Avatar for theod theod says:

    Dear Sen. R,ID : Remember when “It’s about the lying under oath, not the sex” was the Republican-meme of the year? I do. Please look up “Pres. Clinton’s Blow Jobs Blue Dress Lewinski” on the InterTubes. There might be photos.

  3. “In the last 24 months I’ve met with high-ranking officials from half the countries on the face of this earth. If you asked me which ones I did, I couldn’t tell.”

    Troubling…
    Risch in denial and poor in spirit…

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