A Mississippi Democrat wants Attorney General Jeff Sessions to step aside from any investigation by the Justice Department into retired Gen. Mike Flynn’s resignation as national security adviser.
Rep. Bennie Thompson said on CNN Wednesday that Sessions was one of Trump’s top supporters during the campaign, and he doesn’t believe Sessions could be impartial in any investigation into the administration. Thompson said Democrats are worried about his political influence in a full investigation.
“For the American people, I think it’s absolutely essential for the integrity of his office and for the American people to know what’s going on,” Thompson said. “So, step aside, [get an] independent prosecutor.”
Other Democrats and the Democratic National Committee have issued similar calls this week.
Questions are swirling about what Flynn said to the Russian ambassador in phone calls in late December. Some reports indicate Flynn may have signaled the Trump administration would reduce President Obama’s sanctions on Russia, but Flynn has denied that.
The Justice Department, under Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, reportedly warned the Trump administration in January that Flynn had not told the full truth about the conversations after they reviewed transcripts of phone calls intercepted by intelligence officials. The officials were reportedly monitoring Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador.
“For Attorney General Sessions to be involved in this clearly puts a cloud over whether an investigation can be conducted fairly,” Thompson said.
Thompson pointed to former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who should have recused herself from the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails after meeting former President Bill Clinton in an airplane during the investigation. He added that former Attorney General Eric Holder would have been expected to step aside from an investigation of the Obama administration as well.
“If there had ever been a question of impropriety on the part of someone in the Obama administration, I think Attorney General Holder would have stepped aside,” Thompson said.
