Sessions Tangles With Sen. Wyden: 'I Am NOT Stonewalling!'
The hottest exchange of the Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, III testimony thus far was between Oregon Senator Ron Wyden and Sessions.
Throughout the questioning, Sessions has declined to answer questions, while also not claiming executive privilege. Instead he is claiming that he's protecting the president's right to invoke it, despite the fact that the Attorney General does not serve as counsel to the president and is supposed to be the lawyer for the American people.
Wyden was fed up with it.
“I believe the American people have had it with stonewalling. Americans don’t want to hear that answers to relevant questions are privileged or off-limits,’’ Wyden scolded. “We are talking about an attack on our democratic institutions and stonewalling of any kind is unacceptable.’’
With his back up like a cat, Sessions hissed, “I am not stonewalling. I am following the historic policies of the Department of Justice.’’
Later in the exchange, Wyden tried to pin him down on the issues Comey alluded to when he testified that Sessions would have to recuse for "problematic issues." He pressed Sessions on what exactly was problematic, to the point where the attorney general was visibly angry.
“Why don’t you tell me? There are none, Sen. Wyden. There are none," Sessions insisted. "This is a secret innuendo being leaked out there about me and I don’t appreciate it and I’ve tried to give my best and truthful answers.’’