At his confirmation hearing in January, then-Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions told Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) that he did not speak with Russian officials about the Trump campaign. He stopped there, not fully disclosing that he did, at the very least, meet with the Russian ambassador. The American Civil Liberties Union is claiming Sessions violated the code of conduct by misleading Congress and has filed an ethics complaint against him with the Alabama State Bar Disciplinary Commission.
"Mr. Sessions is the Attorney General of the United States and violated Rule 8.4 of the Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct," according to the complaint filed Thursday by the ACLU's Chris Anders, deputy director at the ACLU Washington Legislative Office, where he represents the ACLU before Congress and the executive branch.
Sessions responded to the backlash over his testimony by recusing himself from any investigation into Russia's potential interference in the 2016 election. Some Democrats wanted him to face tougher consequences, even demanding his resignation. Sessions insists he did not intend to mislead Congress and that he answered Franken's very specific question as honestly as he could.
Yet, the ACLU is adamant in insisting the U.S. attorney general cannot get away with "lying under oath." They want a full investigation.
While the group is making a specific ethical complaint against Sessions's conduct, the ACLU has made no secret of their anti-Trump administration agenda since he took office. This weekend they are planning a “Resistance Training” event where they will "take the fight to the streets."