Washington, D.C. - In the wake of new allegations of contacts between President Trump’s associates and Russian officials during the campaign and reports that Attorney General Sessions mislead the Senate Judiciary Committee about his interactions with Russian officials during his confirmation hearings, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is calling on Attorney General Sessions to recuse himself from the investigation and for the appointment of special counsel to probe President Trump’s ties to Russia and any contacts between Russian officials and his campaign.
Casey wrote, “In order to ensure the full independence and credibility of an investigation, it is critical that you recuse yourself. Current regulations (28 CFR Part 600) establish the parameters for appointment of a Special Counsel and allow for the recusal of the Attorney General from this process. I believe that a senior career official in the Department of Justice, without political ties, should be responsible for the appointment of the Special Counsel to ensure the integrity of the investigation.”
The full text of Casey’s letter can be seen below:
March 2, 2017
Dear Attorney General Sessions:
I write with grave concern about the growing body of information regarding Russian interference in the November 2016 election and contact between senior officials on President Trump’s campaign and in the Russian government. I strongly support the creation of an independent commission to investigate fully the Russian cyberattacks on our election, but I now believe that the Administration also has a responsibility to give the American people answers about these recent reports. As such, I urge the swift appointment of an independent Special Counsel to thoroughly investigate this matter. Your close ties to President Trump’s campaign, including emerging reports of your own contacts with the Russian government, and key role in his Administration raise serious questions about your ability to remain impartial in this matter. The specter of bias, real or perceived, in an investigation this serious is unacceptable. I urge you to recuse yourself completely from the investigation.
In January, the intelligence community reported to Congress and the American people: “Russian efforts to influence the 2016 US presidential election represent the most recent expression of Moscow’s longstanding desire to undermine the US-led liberal democratic order, but these activities demonstrated a significant escalation in directness, level of activity, and scope of effort compared to previous operations.” Additionally, recent reports of consistent, regular contact between Trump campaign officials, including you, and known Russian intelligence operatives, coupled with the disclosure that the National Security Advisor at the time, General Flynn, mislead the Vice President about his contacts with the Russian Ambassador, are deeply troubling.
You were an early and vocal supporter of President Trump’s campaign, serving as chair of his national security advisory committee. News reports now indicate that you had at least two conversations with the Russian Ambassador, despite your testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee to the contrary. A recent Washington Post report quoted White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon describing you as, “the clearinghouse for policy and philosophy” in the Trump Administration. In addition, there is evidence to suggest that former members of your staff may have been among the Trump campaign officials to engage in regular contact with Russian officials. For example, multiple reports indicate that you recommended the campaign hire Carter Page as a national security policy advisor; Page is among those who engaged in reportedly regular dialogue and perhaps collusion with Russian intelligence.
In order to ensure the full independence and credibility of an investigation, it is critical that you recuse yourself. Current regulations establish the parameters for appointment of a Special Counsel and allow for the recusal of the Attorney General from this process. I believe that a senior career official in the Department of Justice, without political ties, should be responsible for the appointment of the Special Counsel to ensure the integrity of the investigation.
The American people deserve answers about the ties between President Trump’s campaign, and subsequently his Administration, and Russian officials. In addition to supporting other measures like establishing an independent commission, I urge you to immediately set in motion plans to recuse yourself and appoint a Special Counsel to investigate this matter to ensure full accountability and transparency to the American people.
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