Jeff Sessions is so afraid of his Russia scandal, he’s sending his deputy to testify in open hearings

| 9:11 pm EDT June 10, 2017
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Attorney General Jeff Sessions will indeed testify before Congress this week, as planned – but he’s shifting things around in an attempt at not having to testify in public. It’s one of the most notable signs yet that Sessions is fearful of being taken down by the Russia scandal that he and Donald Trump have been complicit in for more than a year.

As we reported yesterday, Jeff Sessions was already scheduled to appear in open hearings before a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriation Committee. Democrats had signaled that they would use the hearings to ask Sessions about the Russia scandal. In particular, Sessions has plenty to answer for now that former FBI Director James Comey has made clear in his own recent testimony that Sessions was tainted from the start.

But now Sessions has decided to send Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to testify in the open hearings in his place. It could not be more clear that Sessions is trying to avoid having to answer questions about the Russia scandal in front of the cameras. Instead he’s agreed to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee, according to NBC News (link), and he’s insisting that he has classified information to share – which is his way of insisting that it be a closed session.

Of course Jeff Sessions has provided nothing to suggest that he actually has any relevant classified information that he needs to share during his testimony. If he’s simply planning to deny the latest accusations that he had even more secret meetings with the Russian Ambassador during the campaign, then his denial wouldn’t be classified in nature. Instead it appears Sessions is simply too afraid to appear before the cameras again while under oath. But he’ll be just as guilty of perjury if he lies under oath yet again – and there’s every reason to expect Special Counsel Robert Mueller will have access to the testimony. So Sessions may be cowering from open hearings in a way that won’t even help him. If you’re a regular reader, feel free to support Palmer Report. Follow Palmer Report on Facebook and Twitter.

Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.