House Minority Nancy Pelosi was peddling falsehoods during Politico’s Playbook Interview at the Newseum this morning. The Peter G. Peterson Foundation sponsored the event. Fresh off the revelations that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had two undisclosed contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Yet, some of these encounters appear to be within Sessions’ capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Pelosi has called on Sessions to resign.
Democratic have a bloodlust over attacking the Trump administration over anything Russia-related to the point where any contact with the Russians is considered an act of subversion. Pelosi reshaped The Washington Post’s story where they called the 26 members of the Armed Services Committee and reported that none of them, besides Sessions, had contact with the Russian ambassador. Pelosi brought that point up during the interview, and Politico’s Jake Sherman repeated it as a fact. It’s not.
“My point on this was the media has reported that—one…I think it’s the Post, but I’m not sure--have interviewed a… called a number of members of the Armed Services Committee and haven’t found anyone yet, in addition to Sessions, who has visited and asked for a meeting by the Russians,” she said.
“26 members of the Armed Services Committee and Sessions is the only person who has met with him [Kislyak],” replied Sherman.
That's is false. Democratic Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), who also service on the Senate Armed Services Committee, have met with the Russian ambassador.
During this event, Sherman also asked her if she met with the Russian ambassador as a member of Congress. Pelosi said not with this Russian ambassador, but admitted that meeting with ambassadors is commonplace on the Hill. As Katie noted, other Democrats have met with the Russian ambassador. Are they guilty of collusion of some sort against the interests of the United States?
Also, about Pelosi's remarks about not meeting with this Russian ambassador:
Photo contradicts @NancyPelosi's statement about not meeting Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak https://t.co/IU2F19MBvm pic.twitter.com/fkq30SZv4C
— POLITICO (@politico) March 3, 2017
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