Russias interference in our election and assess agents of their government have penetrated to the highest level of our government, nothing less than the sanctity of our dear democratic process, the primecy of rule of law and the integrity of our executive branch is at stake. We now know the only way that this will happen is if an independent, impartial, special prosecutor who has no attachment to this administration conducts this investigation. If the administration is unwilling or unable to manage that, congress should reins statute the law. Why is it not appropriate to recuse himself, why does he have to resign . Look, the attorney general is the chief Law Enforcement officer of the land and already his integrity and independence has been questioned. It would be better for the country if he would resign. The main point im making here is we need an investigation to get to bottom of this. Better for the country if the he resigns but lets get a real investigation going. I was going to say, is there something inappropriate about the senator meeting with the Russian Ambassador . Theres nothing inappropriate with the senator meeting with the Russian Ambassador. Theres something very inappropriate to dramatically mislead congress. He said he didnt remember afterwards but it was in the record for weeks afterwards and you can be sure he was thoroughly briefed through this hearing. It was obvious with everything that was swirling about that this question would come up. Its not a question of you wonder about i didnt remember. Yes, in the back. The question that senator franken has been replayed over and over on cable channel news. Was it not nebulous enough or Crystal Clear that anything was no. Look. There is enough doubt about whether senator sessions told the truth at his hearing to have an investigation of it. And the standard for remaining attorney general and certainly for conducting investigation is not just did you break the law. You have to be above reproach. Yes. During the 2016 Campaign Senators manchin and mccaskill and other Senate Democrats have met with the Russian Ambassador. How would you characterize that level of concern . No, theres nothing wrong with meeting with the Russian Ambassador. The question that just keeps coming up again and again and again with this investigation is if there was nothing wrong, why didnt you come clean and tell the whole truth . Do you think that senator sessions lied to congress . I am not a legal expert on perjury and leave that to the experts. It was definitely extremely misleading to say the least as to what he did. And what bothers me just as much is, every nominee goes through the record afterwards and they make corrections. If the next day he would have said i forgot and heres what i said, its a lot different than letting the record stand. Especially with all of the questions swirling about. Next. Go ahead. The white house says that Jeff Sessions met with the ambassador in an official capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services committee. They say thats consistent with his testimony but can it be certainty . I dont think thats the way most would interpret it and thats why we need a thorough investigation. They also say its a part of the past huh . Partisan attack. They say that about everything, its getting tired. If they are interested in the truth and they are not worried about the truth, they know how to get to the bottom of it in a convincing way. Several of your colleagues have gone in front of cameras in the last couple of days and declared seen no evidence, that the contacts between the russians and Trump Campaign ever happened. Im wondering, have you seen im not commenting on anything i heard as part of the gang of eight. Next question. Republicans in the house wanted the investigation and lie before congress and requested the fbi to get thoroughly involved. Do you expect that the fbi to get involved with this . Are you requesting the fbi to investigate a perjury aspect . Well wait as i said, i think we need a special prosecutor to look into all of these allegations, that is the right way to go. I was heartened to hear now that a few republicans have called for this. The longer they delay the worse it will be for the country and for them. Last question. The russians have pushed back against the characterization of this Russian Ambassador is somehow involved in recruiting spies. Do you have anything to say about that . No, thats not the point. The point here is Jeff Sessions should have said he met with the ambassador when questioned about it. He could have then said what happened at the meeting, nobody knows. Are you okay with that . No, hes in chain of command first of all, will sessions still be in charge of the attorney general . We need a special prosecutor. This has to be above reproach. Theres been allegation after allegation, question after question, a special prosecutor is whats called for and if the administration has nothing to hide, they wont object. Thank you, everybody. A live picture from capitol hill where weve been bringing you a hearing on transparency at the tsa. Members right now taking a break as they head over to the House Chamber for a veseries of votes. We do expect it to reresume right after 11 00 and well have live coverage on cspan3. We showed you Chuck Schumer as he held a briefing on attorney general sessions and his contact with russian officials. If you miss any of that, we have it in the cspan Video Library to view any time. The Washington Post saying that Top Republicans are calling on attorney general sessions to recuse himself from the russia investigation. The post writing then senator sessions spoke twice last year with russias ambassador to the u. S. But testified under only during the confirmation hearing that he did not meet with russian officials. Kevin mccarthy said during an appearance on ms nbc that senator sessions actually attorney general sessions should bow out to maintain the trust of the American People. Minutes later, a tweet from House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chair Jason Chaffetz, that attorney general sessions could clarify his testimony and recuse himself. Congressman chaffetz is the chair of this House Oversight hearing were bringing you on transparency is he tsa. When it resumes well are live coverage here on cspan3, focusing in on an inspector generals report concluding that the tsa is abusing stewardship of sensitivity security information with interest consistent decisions, including redacting Information Reports already public. This is the third House OversightCommittee Hearing on the tsa and well have live coverage when it resumes here on cspan3. A segment in this mornings washington journal. We want to welcome back the congressman and House National resources committee. Thanks. Some of the news regarding the Affordable Care act, were getting word there could be a markup as early as next week. Whats happening . We share Common Ground in regards to we have a failing system already that aca is on its death bed and were trying to rescue the patient. I think we agree on how do we get that done with a market based application but some of the better news, steve, what transpired in judiciary, where a piece of legislation ive been forward about in breaking up the insurance monday opopoly went unopposed through judiciary. This is important when you have the Insurance Industry starting to work on behalf of the American People instead of viceversa. Let me para phrase the question and the former president criticized if you like your health insurance, youll be able to keep it, that was barack obama. For those who have health care under the Affordable Care act now, will they have it under a republican plan . Everybody looks so that no one falls through the cracks. Thats what the key is. What were doing right now is failing. Dont take it from me, look whats transpiring within the marketplace, youre getting fewer and fewer options and obamacares whole nature was it benefited the population that doesnt have insurance at the risk of 85 . I didnt like my health care before and dont like it now. So what it looks like to me, we ought to get to the base in making sure that we actually have everybody competing for the Patient Center friendly type health care. Im one of those people that fought for that application. Theres nobody going to fall through the cracks, youre going to have an off ramp thats two to three year so people have the opportunity to see something being rebuilt. Thats what i want to happen, not to have this fix behind closed doors where the American Public doesnt have a say. I want it out transparency and want it to be fair. From that standpoint, i think theres plenty of opportunity here to rebuild this this in a right fashion. Dont do it quick, do it right so that you get the savings all the way through, not just the individual market but the employer medicaid and medicare. Dennis, for 25 years, i dont have to tell you if you talk to physicians as well, one of the biggest complaints they have, the amount of paperwork with regard to insurance forms and those individuals, your customers and patients being cared for. How do you replace that . Exactly, what ive been trying to tell everybody is that get people competing for the business and Getting Health Care back. And empowering patients with that mechanism to pay. Thats why youre talking about Health Savings account and people get to put money in if they dont use it, they dont use it and use it for a lifetime to make those decisions. Patients are better at making those decisions than is the federal government. Thats the key here is that get that direct relationship back. If you like Government Health care, look at the va, im tired of trying to fix the va, here we have a single payer. Look at the common stra tif problems that exist there. Patients have to take on health care but be able to have the tools to help themselves out within the marketplace. This is the headline from the qunew york times, he controls fifth of the nation, the new interior secretary, will we see more drilling on National Parkland . Well, i think what were actually seeing is that there are already exemptions that are in place that people have private property in those areas. You cant take that away from them. There will be no new drilling probably in those areas but for the people that have already started that have their allocations ar s already allott you cant take that away from people. Lets go to margaret joining us from Coral Springs florida, democrats line with republican congressman paul gozar. Caller i have some concerns. I watched yesterday and what is with the scrub act, it seems this scrub bill youre putting through is going to just allow this panel that is unelected, the panel picked by the president with a very minute majority of democrats in it, to oversee from osha to the Banking Industry to wall street, to be able to pick and choose and get rid ever oversight rules. This scares me. It just seems like youre just gathering all of the powers that be right into the presidency and knocking out any and all things that the democrats democrats d any amendment, i saw that the democrats tried to put forth yesterday whether it was a yeah or nay, and even a nay, the man just said, that is it. Thank you, margaret. A response. Margaret, what we have to look at is that there is so many duplicitous type rules at the federal and the state level that that is where you waste lot of money. It is not that anybody wants dirty air or that, because we want the right people of the right oversight are doing those rules. It does not take two different agencies to do the same type of the rule. It is to make sure that the application is done concisely in a transparent manner. When you are putting together a commission, it will help you the find through the huge bureaucracy called washington, d. C. , and the federal government, the duplicitous applications. You should not be scared of that. And what you should be doing is rewarding that and looking forward to workinging with that so we have a streamlined application to make sure that the agencies in charge and those rules are doing exactly that, and those empowered to the states, that they are empowered to do that we are talking to paul gosar who has spent 25 years as a dental in arizona and former president of the dental association, and graduate of Creighton University and member of the Republican Study Committee and member of the e tea party caucus. On the line from cedar rapids, iowa. Yes, steve. I have a couple of points and one for you actually. I caught while i was at the Grocery Store yesterday an article that said that Hillary Clinton had confessed to treason and demanding a plea are deal and if cspan could follow up and enlighten on that. What is the source, edward . I am not sure, but it is a magazine at the checkout and i was moving through, but i did catch it. Like the National Enquirer or one of those tabloids . I am not sure, steve. Sfloit seen the headline, but we will look into it. Do you have a question for the congressman . Caller yes. Regarding the Affordable Care act, i understand that the rerepeal of the obamacare and i know it is a failing system. And both sides are arguing as to what should be ended and new. One cant simply get together and pick the parts that both sides want in it and then negotiate out and come up with some kind of Affordable Care for the people that need it . Thank you. Le well, we have been doing exactly, that ed. That is why i have been pushing trying to break up the insurance monopoly so that we have more options that are patientfriendly, and patienttailored to you. You have to rebuild the marketplace, and that is what the unAffordable Care act did is to give you fewer and fewer options. And what works for you may not work for me, and we want to em pow er you with the tool kit to take care of and dictate what kind of health care you would like. So those are the keys here. I did not see the Obama Administration trying to reach out to work with us. And in regards to the passage of it, they didnt use a single republican vote in there to actually try to move it forward. In fact, they could not get it. That is why they moved it forward. You can only lie so much, and then it comes back to roost for you. At this point in time, it is broken. And so i a am not a believer in the singlepayer, because if you want the single payer, that is what the v. A. Is going to look like. And look at the veterans, and what is happening to them. They deserve bert. But i have been in the Health Care Business to know that you have to be empowered with with the tools to make relations with and pick a doctor that you are comfortable with and a holding them accountable in the Health Care Demonstration for yourself. And it is actually working at the application, and i think that right now, all you have seen is that the democrats say that the Affordable Care act works and it doesnt, and if you cannot admit that it doesnt work, how can you be a part of the solution. And let me get a reaction to the story that the Washington Post first broke, confirmation from the Attorney Generals Office that he did have two conversations with the Russian Ambassador, one in july and one here in december in washington, d. C. This is a tweet from the house leader nan sucy pelosi. She says that the attorney general is not fit to serve and must resign. And this is the Top Republicans asking sessions to recuse himself from the russian investigation, and highlighting what is talking about, your colleague Kevin Mccarthy on msnbc saying that they should bow to the maintain the trust of the American People, and then minutes later of the house foreign committees Jason Chaffetz said that he should recuse himself. This is interesting coming from the lady who said that you have to pass a bill to know what is in the bill. And that is incredibly negligent from he. And the two were done in the following fashion. One in a passing meeting, and the second as a senior person on Foreign Affairs in the senate. Jiminy christmas, how far are you going down the rabbit hole looking for the red herring. The American People are fed up with this. And you know and the whole point is here is nancy pelosi and defending the last a administration, and when they had the last russian reset butt button. And what about kevin mccar y mccarthy . He can say whatever he wants to, and at this time i am fully behind general sessions in this regard and not asking for anything. If those are the two instances, he is perfectly allowed to have that happen. From that standpoint, i think that we are getting into a kn kneejerk reaction that we ought to stop. And confront this problem straight on, because this is nothing more than trying to change the narrative of the day. And to be clear, he should not recuse himself from your standpoint at the point . He does not bear any reason why he should have to. And once in passing at a meeting when they are in the same group of a general assembly, how does that work . And the second one, as a Senior Member of the foreign relations, and how can you do your job . This is what is wrong with washington, d. C. American public understands, you know, you cant totally negate somebody from being in your presence, and so from that standpoint, i find this really offensive that we are continuing to go down this rabbit hole looking for the red herring and especially from the person who has just misled the American Public right and left. That is horrendous. And back to the calls. Jenny is joining us from maryland grove. And the call is from the republican line. Caller good morning. My question for representative gosar is that how disingenuous of him to say that he does not like his health care srnlgs u because health care system, because i understand that congress has better system than most of us, and the problem is that most of the people elect and sitting in congress are not remembering who they really work for i which is the public here in the country and not themselves. Well, ms. Jenny, i am unfortunately on obamacare and i had two back surgeries, and so i do understand extremely well what is happen iing. I see it and live it and trying to stand up for the average person out in america. So i think that and you can see the rest of that washington journal segment in the cspan library at cspan. Org. This is a live picture from capitol hill where the House Oversight committee is holding a hearing on tsa transparency and expected to reconvene here in a couple of moments and we will have live coverage here on cspan3, but now we will go to