A top Democratic senator who previously met with the Russian ambassador is on the defensive after asserting Thursday that she had never done so.
The claim from Missouri senator Claire McCaskill came in response to a report that then-senator Jeff Sessions, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, met twice with Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak. He did not disclose the meetings during his confirmation hearing for attorney general.
“I’ve been on the Armed Services Com for 10 years.No call or meeting w/Russian ambassador. Ever.” McCaskill tweeted Thursday morning.
In a January 2013 tweet, McCaskill said that she was “Off to meeting w/Russian Ambassador” to discuss international adoptions. In another tweet from August 2015, McCaskill said she was holding “calls with British, Russia, and German Ambassadors re: Iran deal.”
The Missouri senator denied any contradiction between those tweets to THE WEEKLY STANDARD Thursday.
“No contradiction. I have never been called by the Russian ambassador. I have never had a one-on-one meeting with the Russian ambassador,” she told TWS in a brief interview. “I attended a meeting along with a large group of senators about international adoptions and he was there.”
“I called all the P5+2 countries around the Iran deal, their ambassadors, briefly. I called them,” McCaskill continued. “I can count on one hand how many meetings with ambassadors I’ve had the entire time I’ve been in the Senate, and none of them in connection with my service on the Armed Services Committee.”
McCaskill said that she did not know of any Democrats on the Armed Services Committee that were called for a meeting with the Russian ambassador.
“I have not found a member of the Armed Services Committee on our side of the aisle that have ever been called by the Russian ambassador for a meeting. Ever,” she said. “But there might be. I haven’t talked to all of them.”
McCaskill also issued two tweets Thursday to clear up the controversy.
