Letter to the Honorable Jefferson Sessions, Attorney General of US Department of Justice - Clarification on Comments on Connection of Trump Advisers and Russian Government

Letter

Dear Attorney General Sessions:

Yesterday evening, you indicated in a television interview that the Trump Administration will pursue criminal charges to curb the number of alleged leaks of classified information from within the government.[1] Your comments appear to contradict your earlier statements about the scope of your recusal from any investigation of the Trump campaign, and we write to you for clarification.

Hours after the Washington Post reported about two of your previously undisclosed meetings with the Russian ambassador to the United States,[2] you announced your recusal "from any existing or future investigations of any matters in any way related to the campaigns for President of the United States."[3] You noted further that you have "taken no actions regarding any such matters," and your recusal "should not be interpreted as confirmation of the existence of any investigation or suggestive of the scope of any such investigation."[4]

Many of our colleagues expressed initial concerns about the scope of your recusal--and, in particular, how a recusal limited to "the campaigns for President of the United States" would impact matters involving "Russian contacts with the Trump transition team and administration."[5] In your supplementary testimony to the Senate Judiciary, you assured us that you "understand the scope of the recusal . . . would include any such matters."[6]

And yet last night, when asked about "the leakers, in the various agencies," you stated: "This has got to end, and it will probably take some convictions to put an end to it."[7]

Of course, most of the alleged leaks in question are related to ongoing investigations about contact between President Trump's advisors and Putin's Russia.[8] In many cases, these reports are the only way the public came to learn about these contacts.

Accordingly:
Does your recusal "from any existing or future investigations of any matters in any way related to the campaigns for President of the United States" remain in effect?
Does that recusal still extend to matters involving "Russian contacts with the Trump transition team and administration?"
If you are, in fact, recused from matters involving "Russian contacts with the Trump transition team and administration," is it appropriate for you to be involved in any investigation or decision to prosecute anyone who may have leaked classified information about the Administration's connections to the Russian government?
Is it your intention to participate in such matters?
Is it appropriate for you to comment on such matters in public?

We ask that you answer these questions, and provide us with any other relevant guidance that may clarify the scope of your recusal, no later than April 7, 2017.

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