Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Tuesday said Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ refusing to thoroughly answer questions at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing earlier in the day indicates the White House has something to hide.
“Jeff Sessions seemed to be avoiding almost every question, few exceptions. And when the president, when the people around him say ‘Why do people suspect us?’ Well, if you had done nothing wrong, the obvious conclusion is you’d be happy to talk about things. But if you’re worried you might have done something wrong, then the conclusion is you better avoid it,” Schumer told MSNBC host Rachel Maddow.
“I think he raised more questions than he settled,” Schumer added.
The top Senate Democrat not only blasted his former Senate colleague for indirect responses but also attacked the reason the top attorney gave for not being able to fully answer all questions.
“Cabinet officials have been talking for months about their conversations with President Trump on a whole variety of issues,” Schumer said. “It seems the only time that they don’t want to discuss their discussion — their conversations with President Trump — is when it’s about Russia. And that has no factual basis, no legal basis and Sessions is in dereliction of his duty.”
The Senate Intelligence Committee does not have many options in terms of forcing Sessions to talk. Schumer said if the committee looked into holding Sessions in contempt of Congress, it would be a long and complicated legal process that would not assist the group’s Russia investigation any time soon.
Schumer also took issue with Sessions’ refusal to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has oversight into Justice Department spending. Schumer said if Sessions is avoiding the judiciary panel on purpose, he ought to step down for failing to carry out his responsibilities and addressing the other committee’s concerns.
