Senator chuck chuck ensley chairs this fivehour hearing. [indiscernible] [gavel pounding] [indiscernible] attorney general sessions, welcome. For all the people in the audience, we welcome you as well. I thank general sessions were being here that attorney general sessions were being here for the oversight hearing. His is an opportunity for congress to investigate and question the policies and actions of any executive branch. It is an opportunity for the executive branch to take responsibility for any of those policies and actions, and an opportunity for congress to defend its constitutional powers and check any abuses by an overreaching executive branch, and it has been that way for 230 years. Some have complained that we have not had an oversight hearing with this attorney general earlier. My reason for deferring was that the attorney general should have his team in place before appearing before us. Certainly, attorney general holder and attorney general lynch did have their respecti
Attorney general sessions, welcome. For all the people in the audience, we welcome you as well. I thank general sessions were being here that attorney general sessions were being here for the oversight hearing. His is an opportunity for congress to investigate and question the policies and actions of any executive branch. It is an opportunity for the executive branch to take responsibility for any of those policies and actions, and an opportunity for congress to defend its constitutional powers and check any abuses by an overreaching executive branch, and it has been that way for 230 years. Some have complained that we have not had an oversight hearing with this attorney general earlier. My reason for deferring was that the attorney general should have his team in place before appearing before us. Certainly, attorney general holder and attorney general lynch did have their respective teams well in place by the time they appeared here as you are now here. The other side has been blockin
Well try to make this as reasonably short as possible and if you need a break, please let us know. So, people wonder what are we doing, what are we trying to accomplish . In january, the Intelligence Community unanimously said that the russians through their Intelligence Services tried to interfere in the 2016 american president ial election, that it was the russians who hacked podestas emails, it was the russians who broke into the Democratic National committee and was russians who helped empower wikileaks. No evidence that the russians changed voting tallies, how people were influenced by what happened, only they know and god knows, but i think every american should be concerned about what the russians did. From my point of view, theres no doubt in my mind it was the russians involved in all the things i just described. Not some 400 pound guy sitting on a bed or any other country. Russia is up to no good when it comes to democracies all over the world. Dismembering the ukraine, the b
Hearing. It is just over three hours. Hit the gavel. Give them some peace. Back in your cages. Take this free pass thing. The hearing will come to order. Thank you all for coming. Heres the order of the day. S the order of the day. Ill give a brief Opening Statement along with senator whitehouse and well have senator grassley and feinstein follow us in questioning, and it will be sevenminute rounds initially and try to a second round of five minutes. To both of the witnesses, thank you for coming. Well try to make this as reasonably short as possible and if you need a break, please let us know. So, people wonder what are we doing, what are we trying to accomplish . In january, the Intelligence Community unanimously said that the russians through their Intelligence Services tried to interfere in the 2016 american president ial election, that it was the russians who hacked podestas emails, it was the russians who broke into the Democratic National committee and was russians who helped em
Hearing. It is just over three hours. Hit the gavel. Give them some peace. Back in your cages. Take this free pass thing. The hearing will come to order. Thank you all for coming. Heres the order of the day. S the order of the day. Ill give a brief Opening Statement along with senator whitehouse and well have senator grassley and feinstein follow us in questioning, and it will be sevenminute rounds initially and try to a second round of five minutes. To both of the witnesses, thank you for coming. Well try to make this as reasonably short as possible and if you need a break, please let us know. So, people wonder what are we doing, what are we trying to accomplish . In january, the Intelligence Community unanimously said that the russians through their Intelligence Services tried to interfere in the 2016 american president ial election, that it was the russians who hacked podestas emails, it was the russians who broke into the Democratic National committee and was russians who helped em