WaPo: Sessions spoke twice with Russian ambassador during campaign

[Dr. Arch]

WSJ: Jeff Sessions Used Political Funds for Republican Convention Expenses: Records show attorney general used campaign account for travel expenses to Cleveland, where he met Russian envoy

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Just lol...this administration will be hobbled until they are thrown out of office

Woo nelly! This is some serious stuff.

[KingSweden]

spicer btw projected that sessions wouldn't recuse himself ...

"There's nothing to recuse himself [from]. He was 100% straight with the committee." -@seanspicer to @HuntsmanAbby on AG Jeff Sessions
https://twitter.com/foxandfriends/status/837346970268151808

-Told ya, absolutely nothing Spicer says should be trusted.

Holy crap I agree with Eharding

[ApatheticAustrian]

god save the intelligence services, the US department of state, president obama, the free press and all loyal and democratic employees of the US government.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I seriously doubt there will be anything more than further political smoke at this point.  It's not at all odd that a U.S. Senator would speak with a foreign ambassador and why would the Russians funnel anything concerning the Trump campaign thru a random Senator when they had more direct contacts to the campaign?  The recusal is good, but I'd be shocked if this particular problem goes further.  Still, it has managed to keep the Trump 2020 campaign off message for at least a day.

[DavidB.]

So I'm not going to read this entire thread, but why can't Sessions talk to the Russian ambassador to the U.S.?

[Hindsight was 2020]

So I'm not going to read this entire thread, but why can't Sessions talk to the Russian ambassador to the U.S.?

The problem is him lying about this meeting not having a meeting (though it raises questions)

[Dr. Arch]

So I'm not going to read this entire thread, but why can't Sessions talk to the Russian ambassador to the U.S.?

The problem is him lying about this meeting not having a meeting (though it raises questions)

Under oath mind you.

[ApatheticAustrian]

So I'm not going to read this entire thread, but why can't Sessions talk to the Russian ambassador to the U.S.?

he absolutely can.

he just can't lie about it in congress, especially when that trip was seemingly funded by the trump campaign, which would suggest, he visited the amb. as surrogate of the trump campaign.

if there wouldn't have been any kind of open question, sessions wouldn't have recused himself.

[DavidB.]

Oh, yeah, that's not good. I hope he won't do so anymore in the future.

[Holmes]

I like how news drops of his travel expenses being covered by the Trump campaign hours after he said it was official business. They were waiting for that to drop it. I love it.

[ApatheticAustrian]

I like how news drops of his travel expenses being covered by the Trump campaign hours after he said it was official business. They were waiting for that to drop it. I love it.

i am pretty pretty effing sure, news media outlets asked them for comments a day ago at least.

[ApatheticAustrian]

https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedBen/status/837730107800358912

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/03/trump-foreign-policy-elites-insiders-experts-international-relations-214846

one could find....well..something like...a pattern.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedBen/status/837730107800358912

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/03/trump-foreign-policy-elites-insiders-experts-international-relations-214846

one could find....well..something like...a pattern.

Just off the top of my head, then, we're at:

Trump having a history of doing business (to the tune of tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars) with high net worth Russian individuals (some affiliated with the Putin government).

Manafort & Co, who have previously worked for the Russians, and who recommended taking Russian-critical language out of the party platform (while making no other major changes).

Ivanka going on vacation with a woman believed to be a personal and intimate friend of President Putin.

Russian intelligence groups stealing emails from the DNC. Trump openly asking Russian intelligence to publicly release email contents they had stolen, which they did.

Trump associates display knowledge of email contents prior to their being released.

Confirmed contacts between Trump campaign surrogates and supporters and Russian officials, with more such contacts alleged.

Trump's National Security Advisor having multiple, possibly illegal, contacts with high-ranking Russian officials, which he then attempted to conceal from the VP and others.

Trump's son-in-law was also present for a meeting between the NSA and the Russian Ambassador, with the Ambassador's presence being kept secret from the public.

Trump is allegedly being blackmailed by the Russian government.

Trump fires the DoJ official responsible for investigating his NSA's contacts with Russia.

Trump's Secretary of State has a long history of personal and business ties with Russia and Russian leadership.

Trump's Secretary of Commerce has a long history of business ties with Russia and Russian oligarchs.

Trump's Attorney General lied under oath to conceal his contact with the Russian Ambassador, and then lied again when explaining them.

Trump's administration fires State Dept officials advising his UN Ambassador how to stand up to Russian aggression.

[Bacon King]

^ Don't forget that Manafort worked pro bono, and FEC documents show he wasn't getting paid at all by the Trump campaign... even though Manafort doesn't exactly seem like the type of person who would suddenly become optimistic and inspired about Making America Great Again that he'd leave his lucrative career to start doing his new job for free

And of course he has very close connections with Russian oligarchs who already have a lot of experience paying him under the table

[Bacon King]

OH! Also the leaks from last fall that said the Russians have compromising material on Trump also said that Putin would reward Trump with 19% ownership in a Russian state-owned oil company if he got elected and could start removing the sanctions, and now suddenly 19% of the company is owned through a myriad web of shell companies that make it impossible to know who the real owner is

[Virginiá]

OH! Also the leaks from last fall that said the Russians have compromising material on Trump also said that Putin would reward Trump with 19% ownership in a Russian state-owned oil company if he got elected and could start removing the sanctions, and now suddenly 19% of the company is owned through a myriad web of shell companies that make it impossible to know who the real owner is

Maybe this could be a good thing. Trump being wealthier may make him less insecure over time as each night he has sleeping on bed sheets made of 100 dollar bills (and rubles) should gradually make him into a more benevolent Donald.

Or, you know, so the fairy tale goes...

[MasterJedi]

OH! Also the leaks from last fall that said the Russians have compromising material on Trump also said that Putin would reward Trump with 19% ownership in a Russian state-owned oil company if he got elected and could start removing the sanctions, and now suddenly 19% of the company is owned through a myriad web of shell companies that make it impossible to know who the real owner is

Also watch for a big Exxon Mobil/Trump/Russia deal eventually that isn't allowed to happen now under Obama regulations.

[Hindsight was 2020]

I don't what's sadder the fact that Trump thinks his tweets about Chuck and Nancy somehow vindicate Sessions or that a lot of his supporters on twitter agree with him

[2952-0-0]

Doesn't Putin know that if the 19% Russian oil deal goes through (even through shell companies) and if Trump is pushed from office, the new US government will definitely move to seize the stake, thus giving a hostile entity significant influence and insight over Russia's only trump card (pardon the pun) on the global economy?

[Badger]

OH! Also the leaks from last fall that said the Russians have compromising material on Trump also said that Putin would reward Trump with 19% ownership in a Russian state-owned oil company if he got elected and could start removing the sanctions, and now suddenly 19% of the company is owned through a myriad web of shell companies that make it impossible to know who the real owner is

Links? I'm serious.

[Crumpets]

OH! Also the leaks from last fall that said the Russians have compromising material on Trump also said that Putin would reward Trump with 19% ownership in a Russian state-owned oil company if he got elected and could start removing the sanctions, and now suddenly 19% of the company is owned through a myriad web of shell companies that make it impossible to know who the real owner is

Links? I'm serious.

Here's a story on the sale of Rosneft to an apparently anonymous buyer:

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-rosneft-privatisation-insight-idUSKBN1582OH

The promise to give Trump 19% comes from the story from Buzzfeed on the alleged British dossier, so that still has to be taken with a huge grain of salt. Plus, IIRC, the story said it would be contingent on Trump repealing sanctions. But 19% and 19.5% are awfully close numbers.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/kenbensinger/these-reports-allege-trump-has-deep-ties-to-russia?utm_term=.ctqRrqa0e#.dspzgNAjd

[publicunofficial]

lol

[Meclazine for Israel]

"Justice officials said Sessions met with Kislyak on Sept. 8 in his capacity as a member of the armed services panel rather than in his role as a Trump campaign surrogate."

Sounds legit.

I don't know why it is such a big deal to talk to the Russian Ambassador in the first place.

Seems like a pretty important relationship to get started to deal with Syria and the like.

[ApatheticAustrian]

I don't know why it is such a big deal to talk to the Russian Ambassador in the first place.

it is not in general...seemingly lying about it as part of an administration which was suspicious about those stuff before, is the problem.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Yeah,

But they wont sack him for that.