Amid new allegations that Attorney General Jeff Sessions lied to the Senate about his not having had communications with Russia, the White House is dismissing any concerns about his ability to investigate the Trump administration’s other apparent ties to Russia.
Speaking with Fox News Thursday morning, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said that “there’s nothing to recuse himself,” claiming that Sessions was “100 percent straight with the committee.” Spicer also repeated the administration’s line that the controversy is nothing more than a “partisan attack.”
According to Fox News, the message that Sessions should not recuse himself came “straight from President Trump.”
In addition to the growing number of congressional Democrats calling for Sessions’ to resign in addition to those calling for recusal, several Republicans are now calling for Sessions’ recusal as well. That means the controversy is now bipartisan.
BREAKING: Republicans calling for AG @JeffSessions to recuse himself from Russia investigation: Graham, Portman, Labrador, Chaffetz, Issa.
— Christina Ginn (@NBChristinaGinn) March 2, 2017
Sessions’ story about his contact with Russian officials has already shifted several times since the controversy broke Wednesday evening.
UPDATE: In the full text of Spicer’s remarks, he acknowledges that Sessions did meet with the Russian ambassador, but not as a “surrogate” of the Trump campaign.
Spicer tells Fox News that Sessions "was 100% straight with the committee" in his answers pic.twitter.com/aziFMToqfW
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 2, 2017
Sessions’ responses to the Senate were not qualified as such.