Despite drama and innuendo, Sessions hearing goes nowhere

Another day. Another hearing. Another wash. 

Such is the way of the Washington establishment, squarely aimed at toppling Trump while ignoring the everyday problems of the American people.

The number of hearings have been seemingly innumerable — former FBI Director Jim Comey, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the intelligence chiefs and others —  and yet the outcome is always the same: No evidence of Russian collusion, no evidence of Trump obstruction of justice. 

{mosads}Heavy on drama and innuendo but light on substance and evidence, the Washington “hearing” has become a tool to distract the American people from the sprawling Trump agenda of rescinded job-killing regulations, improved care for our veterans, a blossoming economy and a budding plan for paid childcare leave.

Each of the hearings are teased as “the most dramatic testimony since Watergate,” but each of them fall markedly short of that ridiculous bar. 

Consider today’s hearing with Sessions.

The salacious pre-hearing questions were echoed for days — did Sessions lie about an undisclosed third meeting with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak? Comey had to have meant something nefarious when he suggested that there were problematic issues with Sessions’ recusal, right?

Wrong and wrong — on both counts. Those seeking to demonize Sessions, and thus the Trump administration, found precious little subject matter.

On the question of private meetings, Sessions unequivocally stated, “I did not have any private meetings nor do I recall any conversations with any Russian officials at the Mayflower hotel.”  He likewise passionately decried those calling his patriotism into question, dubbing accusations of Russian collusion a “detestable lie.”

No proof or evidence of a third meeting with Kislyak was offered by the countering Democrats.  Nor were Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) or the various other Democrats who have met with Ambassador Kislyak called to testify regarding their meetings. 

It appears that the third meeting storyline was just another incorrect and widely reported event that never took place but was nevertheless used to trash the Trump administration.  This comes on the heels of several other debunked stories just last week, like the Feb. 14^th New York Times story alleging repeated Trump campaign contacts with Russia. Comey said this story “in the main, was not true,” while adding, “[T]here have been many, many stories reportedly based on classified information… especially about Russia that are just dead wrong.”

And on Comey’s subtle suggestion that Sessions had done something wrong with respect to his recusal, Sessions vociferously denied any problems and decried Comey’s remarks. “This is a secret innuendo being leaked out there about me and I don’t appreciate it,” Sessions testified. 

As the Republican National Committee points out, it was Comey, not Sessions, caught in the middle of potential false testimony. Comey claimed that he was “not aware” of the Department of Justice delivering a document to the FBI outlining aspects of Sessions’ recusal.  Meanwhile, there was, in fact, a document sent that clearly stated, “the Attorney General has decided to recuse himself.”

Comey’s incorrect testimony last week followed additional wrong testimony that he was forced to correct just last month. Comey falsely asserted that Clinton aide Huma Abedin “forwarded hundreds and thousands” of government emails to her husband, Anthony Weiner’s, computer.  His record of inaccuracy should not go unnoticed.

Taken together, the Trump-era hearings have proven to be nothing but Democratic efforts to re-litigate the 2016 election.  Full of smoke and light on substance, the American people see straight through the choreographed takedown effort.  Indeed, it was just last week that a man outside of the beltway told me, “I did not vote on Donald Trump, but I’m compelled to give him a chance simply because of the negativity directed at him.”

Democrats ought to tread lightly with their parade of hyped hearings. The American people take notice when they fail to deliver. 

Kayleigh McEnany (@KayleighMcEnany) is a graduate of Harvard Law School. She completed her undergraduate degree at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and studied politics at Oxford University.

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