Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Sessions tells Blumenthal he’s had no contact from Mueller in Russia probe

  • Politics
  • by Ana Radelat
  • October 18, 2017
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

C-SPAN

Attorney General Jeff Sessions testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Washington – Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Attorney General Jeff Sessions played a game of political cat and mouse Wednesday during a Senate Judiciary oversight hearing, with the Democratic senator pressing Sessions on whether he’d been contacted for questioning by special counsel Robert Mueller.

At the end, the answer was no.

When it was the senator’s turn to question the attorney general, Blumenthal repeatedly asked Sessions if he or anyone in his office had been contacted by Mueller or anyone working for the special counsel, who is investigating whether there was collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign to influence last year’s presidential election.

Sessions could be a key witness in Mueller’s investigation into the circumstances surrounding President Donald Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey in May.

Sessions at first tried to deflect Blumenthal’s questions.

“Maybe we should just leave that with the special counsel,” he said.

But Blumenthal persisted.

Sessions then turned tables and questioned Blumenthal.

“How do you know who special counsel has contacted? I’m curious,” Session said.

Blumenthal reminded Sessions that he was not the one in the witness seat.

“I’m asking you the question. Hasn’t your office been contacted to request an interview with you by the special counsel?” Blumenthal asked. “That’s a yes or no…”

“I don’t think so,” Sessions interrupted.

“You don’t think so? Are you sure?” Blumenthal pressed on.

Sessions replied, “I’m perfectly willing to help the special counsel in any way, but I don’t recall that I have been contacted. I certainly have not spoken directly with anybody in the special counsel’s office.”

Blumenthal continued to ask for an answer.

Sessions told the senator, “I will be glad to let you know within hours,” after he could check with his staffers on whether any contact from Mueller’s office had occurred.

Sessions said Blumenthal “seemed to know” something that he might not be aware of. “I don’t want to come in here and be trapped…by something I don’t know…so I want to check,” Sessions said. “I would verify before I gave you a final answer.”

That verification would come a few minutes later.

“My staff handed me a note that I have not been asked for an interview at this point. My office has not been contacted on that,” Sessions told Blumenthal. “Maybe you ought to check your source.”

During the hearing, Sessions rebuffed repeated requests from Democratic lawmakers for information on his conversations with Trump on the firing of Comey.

He declined to say what Trump told him before Comey’s firing, offering only that the president asked for his advice in writing.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ana Radelat Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
CT Democrats to propose beefed-up spending plan
by Keith M. Phaneuf

The Appropriations Committee will propose a two-year state spending plan Wednesday that bolsters municipal aid, higher education and social services.

Lamont takes a moment to celebrate government efficiency
by Mark Pazniokas

The state has consolidated 140 positions in human resources into 70.

Big dollars hang in the balance as CT finance panel rushes to finish work
by Keith M. Phaneuf

Millions of dollars in proposed tax hikes and cuts remain in play as the finance committee nears its Thursday deadline.

Bill that would eliminate CT’s religious exemption from mandatory vaccines clears House
by Jenna Carlesso

The measure passed by a vote of 90 to 53 after 16 hours of debate.

Feds will not be placing migrant children in Connecticut
by Mark Pazniokas

The closed Juvenile Training School had been under consideration as a shelter

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion One step Connecticut can take to address our maternal mortality crisis
by Myechia Minter-Jordan, MD

Uncertainty. Fear. Worry. These are just a few of the thoughts and emotions that run through the minds of almost every expecting parent. And for many expecting Black parents, those feelings can be more acute. That’s because for far too many, having a child is a life and death struggle.

Opinion Connecticut lawmakers on aid in dying: two decades of delay, deferral, obstruction
by Paul Bluestein, MD

Very soon, members of the Connecticut House and Senate will be voting on HB6425, - the Medical Aid in Dying bill. More than 20 years ago, Oregon implemented its Death with Dignity Act. Since then, Washington, Vermont, California, Montana, Colorado, Maine, Washington DC, Hawaii and most recently New Mexico have passed legislation authorizing medical aid in dying for terminally ill adults. But not Connecticut.

Opinion The intersection of race, class and gender in America’s childcare system: The class edition
by Georgia Goldburn

When Michelle Obama declared that she wanted to become “Mom in Chief,” she spoke to a sentiment shared by many women, i.e. the desire to be the primary caregiver of their young children in their early years. Not unexpectedly, Mrs. Obama was derided for making that choice, highlighting how society stands ready to indict women […]

Opinion A progressive income tax to re-align Connecticut’s moral compass
by Ezra Kaprov

Redistribution of wealth and property is a fundamental and missing pillar of the hope for multi-racial democracy in the United States.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO