It only impacts Trump in terms of him potentially appointing yet another dubious person.

Mar 2, 2017 at 2:51 PM | Supertroll

Then we must be eternally grateful not to have another Clinton trying to fill vacant spaces in the White House.

Kim. Have done; your point? There is such a thing as lying by omission. I do hope the ambassador doesn't have a secret recording of those two meetings.

GC. Possibly, but then we'll never know will we?

So what was the question and the context?
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Mar 2, 2017 at 5:57 PM | Supertroll

If there is a secret recording, will it be more credible if released by CNN or WikiLeaks?

I think I once met a man who was KGB. Everytime I tried to say something he said "Nyet". Neither of us gained anything at all from the experience.

The question concerned contacts with any Russian government official discussing the presidential election, and the response was that there had been no such contacts. However one of the questions asked was "If there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government, in the course of this campaign, what will you do? [ie no qualification with regard to the substance of any communication]. Sessions answered: "I'm not aware of any of those activities".
My view: if Sessons believed the question concerned the campaign, it would have been prudent to mention other contacts. If Sessons believed the question concerned all contacts, he lied. Let's be charitable and accept the first construction.

So was Sessions affiliated with the campaign?
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It seems prudent to me to answer the question asked.
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Kim.I believe Sessons was an important policy adviser to the Trump campaign, especially regarding immigration and national security, He attended numerous Trump rallies and supplied some of his own staff members to work directly for the campaign. In any case what does it matter whether he had a named position within the campaign?

You don't believe in lying by omission?

Supertroll

I'm with you on this one. Sessions is Attorney-General, arguably the most important legal post (or at least the most important political legal post) in the USA. Not all lawyers behave with the utmost integrity, sadly, but I believe it is a sine qua non of the A-G's position that he/she did so. It may well be that Sessions' discussions with the Russian ambassador were entirely innocent, but why not mention them when asked by Congress about meetings with Russians? Failure to be completely open and up-front about such things just leads to suspicions that there's something sinister going on, even if there isn't. At best I think Sessions has been stupid and naive, and neither of those traits are useful qualifications for the role of A-G.

As for lying by omission, however, I respectfully suggest you be careful how far you push that argument, because it leads me back to the BBC! So far as I am aware, when one of the engineers' professional bodies produced a report warning that we facing the risk of blackouts because of the UK's insane energy policy, the BBC simply ignored it. Lying by omission?

When a "green/enviro" school was set up at great cost, it did so to a huge fanfare from the BBC, which give it great publicity. When said school closed down not too long afterwards, due to all sorts of design and construction faults, at a cost to the taxpayer of £7M if memory serves (Paul Homewood had the story), there was deafening silence from the BBC. Lying by omission?

Yes Mark the BBC at the very least badly misleads on some topics - notably climate change. I wish people would stop treating me as a defender of the BBC come what may. I have been as critical on occasion of the BBC as anyone here.

Supertroll

OK, it's a fair cop. Pax!

Well, Sessions has recused himself, something neither Eric Holder or Loretta Lynch did in more egregious circumstances.
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kim

A quick internet search turned up this on Eric Holder:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/07/02/marc_rich_presidential_pardon_how_eric_holder_facilitated_the_most_unjust.html

As usual I have no doubt if its correct, but it just goes to show, if there's anything in it, that both sides are as bad as the other!

If only Republicans had questioned the competence, impartiality, honesty and integrity of some of Obama's appointments, like Hilary Clinton and John Holdren, the earth would be better and more peaceful. Lives would have been saved.

I'm only on page 3 of this thread, but must interject.

I have lived and worked in the US. You get a feel for the place.

Not like you do from living across the Lake from upstate New York..

http://www.buffaloah.com/h/pol/hist/

Supertroll, new scandal

WASHINGTON—"At the request of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his wife, Ivanka Trump, language critical of a global climate deal was struck from an executive order that Mr. Trump is planning to sign soon"

What questions did Trump fail to ask his fiancee, before they entered into a contract, and what about his daughter's boyfriend when he asked for her hand in marriage?

What impact did Samantha Cameron have on her husband's policies whilst in Downing Street, given her preference for Green thinking?

Mark, you've missed the egregiousness of Holder and Lynch during Obama's disastrous reign, during which the Department of Justice was unbearably politicized. It is a matter of scale which grinds those supporting Sessions.
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Mar 3, 2017 at 2:00 AM | kim

I think the Clintons got quite good at pardoning each other's sins, so that they could lie in any bed, anywhere in the world, anytime of night or day, with clear consciences.

"Trump says that 4000 people were shot in Chicago in 2016. Chicago Tribune says 2016 ended with 762 homicides." Bett Midler

She, of course, conflated "shooting" with "homicide".

There were in fact 4367 shootings.

Remind you of anyone?

Mar 3, 2017 at 12:26 PM | geronimo

These statistics suggest that Shooting Whilst Under the Influence of Drugs/Alcohol reduces accuracy, but I am sure a Politician with good statistical advice, could conclude anything else that was required, with 100% confidence and accuracy.

Sweden homicides : 112

in 2015 (2016 number not yet published). Up from 111 in 2007.

You can lead a horticulture but you cannot make her think.

H/t Dorothy Parker.
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