Sessions Lies Under Oath (5th in Cabinet to do so), Offers to Recuse Himself which White House Rejects

We are getting closer to understanding the level of illegal and unethical behavior it takes to find Republican lawmakers willing to speak up with their Democratic colleagues.  Denying meeting with Russia officials while under oath, Jeff Sessions is reportedly the fifth Trump Cabinet member to lie under oath during confirmation hearings according to ProPublica.  While Sessions, one of Trump's earliest and most vocal supporters, has offered to recuse himself "when appropaite" from a (potential) investigation into Russian interference in the election, that hasn't stopped the White House from deeming that recusal entirely unnecessary.  

Smart Dissent wishes it had the funding to offer a prize to anyone who can guess the next insane thing to happen as we approach 6 weeks since inauguration.

Sessions is facing mounting pressure from top Republicans to remove himself from the Russia probe following reports that he spoke with Moscow’s U.S. envoy twice last year, a disclosure that appeared to contradict sworn testimony during his confirmation hearing.

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) called the former Alabama senator a “friend” but said “it would be best for him and for the country to recuse himself from the [Department of Justice] Russia probe.”

That sentiment was echoed by House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah).

“AG Sessions should clarify his testimony and recuse himself,” he tweeted Thursday.

“There’s nothing to recuse himself,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said in an interview with Fox News that aired late Thursday morning.

The attorney general has denied that he misled lawmakers during his confirmation hearings, saying the conversations occurred in his capacity as a member of the Armed Services Committee and not as a President Trump campaign surrogate.  

He did, however, offer in an interview with NBC News to recuse himself “whenever it's appropriate.” 

As for those five cabinet members who made false statements to Congress:

...Sessions isn’t the only one. At least four other cabinet members made statements during their nomination hearings that are contradicted by actual facts: EPA Chief Scott Pruitt, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.

Details on each of those individuals at the source link below.

ACTION: Sign the MoveOn.org petition calling on Sessions to resign.  Research and sign other similar petitions.  

ACTION: Call your congressman to demand that they vocally call for Session's immediate resignation, whether you're represented by a Democrat or a Republican. Then call the House Oversight Committee at 202.225.5074 and tell Representative Chaffetz to do his job. Here's the complete list of members of the House Oversight Committee.​

Sources: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/321995-white-house-rejects-sessions-recusal-calls

https://www.propublica.org/article/five-trump-cabinet-members-made-false-statements-to-congress