Wilson center, Deputy Director of the institute and an expert on russia. Thank you for joining us. Thank you. My pleasure. A lot of discussion between medications and russia and the United States especially over the election. Could you give us your take of what you are hearing and make sense of whats going on between who did what and when. Guest hears a lot nowadays. It comes from a variety of sources. I was, one has to try to understand where the sources are, in anonymous sources, sources, and put it in a pattern to see what it means. I think of the events have moved on the two issues right now come to the top. And theres now a potential third will focus on the first two. One is the question of Michael Flynn was clearly underio. Investigation, who clearly has a legal problem and i think the question for Michael Flynn in this investigation Going Forward is does the investigation of flynn and with flynn or does he in fact have more information that indicates the president or the campaig
Testifying today before the Senate Intelligence Committee Attorney general Jeff Sessions denied any collusion between him and russian officials during the president ial campaign. He also answered questions about a private meeting in february with the president and then fbi director james comey. Senator richard burr of North Carolina chair is this two and a half hour hearing. And [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] i called the hearing to orderore please attorney general sessions, appreciate your willingness to appear before the committee today and thank you for your years of dedicated service as a member of this body and recent leadership at the department of justice. As i mentioned when the director appeared before us last week that his committees role is to be the eyes and ears for the other 85 members of the United States senate and the American People, ensuring that the Intelligence Community ishe operating lawfully and has the necessary tools to keep america safe.
Id like to call the hearing to order, please. Attorney general sessions, i appreciate your willingness to appear before the committee today. I thank you for your years of dedicated service as a member of this body and your recent leadership at the department of justice. As ie mentioned when director comey appeared before us last week, this committees role is to be the eyes and ears for the other 85 members of the United States senate and for the American People, ensuring that the Intelligence Community is operating lawfully and has the necessary tools to keep america safe. The community is a large and diverseth place. We recognize the gravity of our investigation into russias interference in the 2016 elections. Butt i remind constituents that while we investigate russia we are scrutinizing cias budget while were investigating russia, we are still scrutinizing cias budget, nsas 702 program, the nations Satellite Program and the entire i. C. Effort to recruit and retain the best talent w
Id like to call the hearing to order, please. Attorney general sessions, i appreciate your willingness to appear before the committee today. I thank you for your years of dedicated service as a member of this body and your recent leadership at the department of justice. As ie mentioned when director comey appeared before us last week, this committees role is to be the eyes and ears for the other 85 members of the United States senate and for the American People, ensuring that the Intelligence Community is operating lawfully and has the necessary tools to keep america safe. The community is a large and diverseth place. We recognize the gravity of our investigation into russias interference in the 2016 elections. Butt i remind constituents that while we investigate russia we are scrutinizing cias budget while were investigating russia, we are still scrutinizing cias budget, nsas 702 program, the nations Satellite Program and the entire i. C. Effort to recruit and retain the best talent w
His decision abo im not any discuss. Because youre evoking executive privilege. My understanding is, you took an oath, you raised your right hand here today and you said you would solemnly swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Now youre not answering questions. Youre impeding this investigation. So, my understanding of the Legal Standard is that you either answer the question thats the best outcome. You say this classified, cant answer it here. Ill answer it in closed session. Bucket number three is to say im evoking executive privilege. Its not a Legal Standard. Can you tell me what are these longstanding doj rules that protect conversations made in the executive without evoking executive privilege. Im protecting the president s constitutional right by not giving it give away before he has a chance to secondly, im having the truth in answering your question in saying its longstanding policy of the department of justice. Are those policies written . To make