The Washington Post dripped another Deep State “Russia” leak targeting Attorney Jeff Sessions.
According to the WaPo, former Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak’s two conversations with Jeff Sessions (then a top foreign policy adviser to Republican candidate Donald Trump), were intercepted by the NSA, which was monitoring the communications of senior Russian officials in the US and in Russia.
Barack Obama was indeed spying on, and unmasking, Trump and his campaign associates during the 2016 presidential election.
According to Zerohedge, one former official said that the intelligence indicates that Sessions and Kislyak had “substantive” discussions on matters including Trump’s positions on Russia-related issues and prospects for U.S.-Russia relations in a Trump administration.
The Washington Post reports that Kislyak told Moscow officials that he discussed campaign-related matters, including policy issues important to Russia with Jeff Sessions during the 2016 presidential race.
This falls contrary to public assertions by the Jeff Sessions, according to current and former US officials…
Ambassador Sergey Kislyak’s accounts of two conversations with Sessions — then a top foreign policy adviser to Republican candidate Donald Trump — were intercepted by U.S. spy agencies, which monitor the communications of senior Russian officials both in the United States and in Russia. Sessions initially failed to disclose his contacts with Kislyak and then said that the meetings were not about the Trump campaign.
One U.S. official said that Sessions — who testified that he has no recollection of an April encounter — has provided “misleading” statements that are “contradicted by other evidence.” A former official said that the intelligence indicates that Sessions and Kislyak had “substantive” discussions on matters including Trump’s positions on Russia-related issues and prospects for U.S.-Russia relations in a Trump administration.
In March, Sessions denied allegations that he had discussed the Trump campaign with Russian officials, including former ambassador Kislyak.
Sessions recused himself after he failed to disclose his contacts with the former Russian ambassador during his confirmation hearing with the Senate in February.
“I never had meetings with Russian operatives or Russian intermediaries about the Trump campaign,” Sessions said in March when he announced that he would recuse himself from matters relating to the FBI probe of Russian interference in the election and any connections to the Trump campaign.
Sessions initially failed to disclose his contacts with Kislyak and then said that the meetings were not about the Trump campaign.
Zerohedge reports that officials emphasized that the information contradicting Sessions comes from U.S. intelligence on Kislyak’s communications with the Kremlin, and acknowledged that the Russian ambassador could have mischaracterized or exaggerated the nature of his interactions.
However, WaPo waited until the end of the story to disclose one key detail about Kislyak’s reports to his superiors concerning his meetings with Sessions. According to Kislyak, Sessions didn’t discuss anything that could’ve influenced the election – i.e. nothing here fits in with the Don Jr. collusion narrative. And, more importantly, there’s no way to corroborate Kislyak’s characterization of the meeting. Apparently, Kislyak isn’t a meticulous notetaker, unlike former FBI Director James Comey.
Part of any ambassador’s job is to meet with lawmakers, and promote your countries agenda, and Kislyak was no exception…
“Obviously I cannot comment on the reliability of what anonymous sources describe in a wholly uncorroborated intelligence intercept that the Washington Post has not seen and that has not been provided to me,” said Sarah Isgur Flores, a Justice Department spokeswoman in a statement.
She reiterated that Sessions did not discuss interference in the election.
Zerohedge concludes…
Finally we note that, although the WaPo report is unconfirmed – as the Flores quote above clearly indicates – it could give Trump just the cover he needs to fire Sessions.
In that case he can appoint another attorney general who won’t have conflicts and does not need to recuse from the Russia probe – thus giving Trump justification to fire Mueller and have the new DOJ head continue the probe, likely quashing the Russia narrative once and for all.
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