Trump had lawyer urge Attorney General Jeff Sessions against Russia recusal

by Dramelin 10:30 PM 0 comments

The New York Times first reported that Trump had McGahn lobby Sessions against a recusal.
Sessions announced on March 2 that he would recuse himself from that probe.
He said at the time that he should not oversee an investigation into a campaign for which he was an active and vocal supporter, though the recusal also followed the revelation that he had had two previously undisclosed interactions during the 2016 campaign with the Russian ambassador to the United States.
But soon before the announcement, McGahn spoke to Sessions by phone and urged him against recusing himself from the investigation.
During the conversation, according to people familiar with the matter, McGahn argued to Sessions that there was no reason or basis at that time for him to recuse.
One person said McGahn also told him that recusal would do nothing to resolve concerns over whether Sessions had given a misleading answer at his confirmation hearing weeks earlier when he said he had not had any contacts with Russians.
Sessions ultimately declined the urging, and McGahn accepted the conclusion of officials who believed that Sessions should recuse.