It’s been a rough week for Jeff Sessions, who appears to have lied under oath about his meetings with the Russian ambassador during Trump’s campaign. The embattled attorney general isn’t doing a very good job of defending himself, perhaps because he’s realized that publicly litigating the current scandal will only direct more attention to all the other things he misrepresented or elided at his confirmation hearings.
The fact is, rewatching Sessions’ hours of testimony in light of this week’s revelations shows that the attorney general has bigger problems on his hands than Russia. Again and again in this completely authentic footage, the camera captures Sessions—under oath, mind you—misleading the country about his past, his associations, and his fitness to serve as attorney general. Here are a few moments from his confirmation hearing that spell trouble to come.
Sessions Fails to Acknowledge His Ties to the World’s Richest Man
Sessions has always been very tight-lipped about his business dealings with the World’s Richest Man, which were believed to have come to an end in the 1980s. But Sessions’ decision to discuss a proposed factory acquisition with him in the middle of his confirmation hearing shows the two men are still in cahoots. You don’t get to be the World’s Richest Man by putting too many chips in your cookies, and you don’t get to be attorney general by lying about your rich backers. Jeff Sessions must immediately provide the American people with a full accounting of his relationship with this top-hatted huckster.
Sessions’ Midtestimony Fistfight With a Cat
Mitt Romney was never able to shake the image that defined his campaign: a terrified dog he strapped to the roof of a car. So why has Jeff Sessions gotten a pass for the bizarre moment a few hours into his confirmation hearing when he put an empty tomato can on the head of a housecat, slapped it around, berated it, then threw it off a ladder? Double standard much?
Sessions Being Mean to Quiz Kid Donnie Smith
If Jeff Sessions had a good reason for spending the latter half of his confirmation hearing getting day drunk at the Fox Fire Room, he forgot to mention it to the Senate. But his claims to be completely unfamiliar with Quiz Kid Donnie Smith are belied by clear video evidence showing the senator treating the damaged but earnest electronics salesman with outright contempt. Wise up, Mr. Sessions—the past isn’t through with you!
Sessions Getting Tricked Into Dressing Up Like a Lady Chicken and Marrying a Beatnik Rooster
Really, is this any way for an attorney general to behave?
