Democratic Senators Ask The DOJ’s Watchdog To Investigate Jeff Sessions’ Role In James Comey’s Ousting

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Things are looking pretty grim at the White House in the wake of Donald Trump firing James Comey after, among other things, asking Comey to end the FBI’s investigation in Michael “Good Guy” Flynn. The shoe might be ready to drop on members of Trump’s Cabinet now after two Democratic Senators asked the Department of Justice’s inspector general to open an investigation into Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ role in Comey’s ouster and whether it violated his recusal from the Russia investigation.

The letter, written by Sens. Martin Heinrich (New Mexico) and Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts) was sent to Inspector General Michael Horowitz, the same DOJ watchdog who reviewed Comey’s handling of the FBI’s investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails, Tuesday. In it, the Senators state that if Sessions had any part in Comey’s firing, the investigation’s integrity was obviously harmed and Sessions’ impartiality would be as well.

“It is clear that Attorney General Sessions had an active role in the termination of Director Comey,” the letter states. “This seems to be in direct violation of Attorney General Sessions’ recusal from ‘any existing or future investigations of any matter relating in any way to the campaigns for president of the United States.’

The letter also has several questions that the senators want the Department of Justice to address like whether Sessions needs to recuse himself from other Trump-related investigations. Plus, they’re digging into the scope of his initial recusal and whether Sessions violated any DOJ procedures.

“It is imperative that the American people have faith in the institutions that are investigating the influence a hostile foreign power may have had on our presidential campaign, election, and the current administration of President Trump,” the senators wrote. “We believe the Attorney General’s involvement in the termination of Director Comey has injected the exact “partiality” in these investigations he claimed to wish to avoid.”

The letter concludes saying that there “seems to be a clear violation of his recusal” and raises the idea of the entire DOJ being able to conduct an independent investigation in the future.

The letter was co-signed by eight other Democrat senators.

Read the full letter below.

(via Albuquerque Journal)

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