More Lies: Jeff Sessions Did Not Disclose Russian Contacts On Security Clearance Application

In the latest lie to be uncovered with respect to Donald Trump and his administration’s ties to Russia, CNN reported on Wednesday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions did not disclose – again – his meetings with Russian officials when he was applying for security clearance.

This despite the fact that he was required to list any such interactions.

More from the CNN report:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions did not disclose meetings he had last year with Russian officials when he applied for his security clearance, the Justice Department told CNN Wednesday.

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Sessions, who met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at least two times last year, didn’t note those interactions on the form, which requires him to list “any contact” he or his family had with a “foreign government” or its “representatives” over the past seven years, officials said.

Failing to disclose these meetings when it was legally required is bad enough in its own right, but this isn’t the first time that Sessions has either failed to disclose information or simply lied about his foreign contacts. During his Senate confirmation hearings, Sessions lied about the same contacts when he was asked if he met with any Russian officials during the 2016 campaign.

It’s also not to first time somebody in the Trump administration failed to make similar disclosures – both Michael Flynn and Jared Kushner both did not disclose contacts they made with the Russians.

In the attorney general’s case, his repeated lies are the reason why he recused himself from the Russia investigation, though his recusal has come under question in recent weeks as he has again inserted himself into the investigation, most notably to help fire former FBI director James Comey.

The lies don’t just warrant the recusal of Sessions from all matters related to Russia and prompt more questions about what he may be hiding – but this also raises more concerns about whether Sessions can be trusted to be America’s top law enforcement official at all.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.