FBI/JAMES COMEY/JEFF SESSIONS: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended his role in the firing of James Comey as FBI director, making some of his fullest remarks on the issue to date on Wednesday [10-18-17] in a Senate hearing dominated by questions related to Russia but also touching on immigration, civil rights and other issues.
Speaking before the Senate Judiciary Committee for five hours, Mr. Sessions cited Mr. Comey’s 2016 public comments that he was not recommending charges related to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s email use, describing the remarks as a monumental mistake…
The issue of Mr. Comey’s firing is now under investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is probing Russian meddling in the 2016 election—which Russia denies—and related issues.
President Donald Trump gave shifting explanations of his decision at the time, initially referring to Mr. Comey’s handling of the Clinton investigation and later mentioning the director’s role in the Russia probe.
Mrs. Clinton has cited Mr. Comey’s public statements about the case as one of the reasons she lost the presidential election…
At Wednesday’s hearing, Democrats pressed Mr. Sessions about Mr. Comey’s firing and Mr. Sessions’ contacts with Russian officials, and lawmakers from both parties asked about efforts to combat any future election meddling by Russia…
Mr. Sessions declined to discuss any conversations he has had with Mr. Trump, including about Mr. Comey’s firing, to the chagrin of Democrats. He did say he has not been interviewed by Mr. Mueller.”
-Aruna Viswanatha and Del Quentin Wilber, “Sessions Defends Firing of Comey, Citing Ex-FBI Director’s Role in Clinton Probe,” The Wall Street Journal online, Oct. 18, 2017 05:12pm