Well, that’s certainly an interesting statement. On CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper on Sunday, Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) pretty much said that any contact with the Russians is inappropriate. Tapper was discussing the firing of James Comey from the FBI, noting that Attorney General Jeff Sessions seemed to be a key player in facilitating the dismissal, along with Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein. Sessions recused himself from any investigation relating to possible collusion between the Trump team and Russian intelligence, though this development has some Democrats worried since he’s taking a role in finding Mr. Comey’s replacement (via CNN):
JAKE TAPPER: Congresswoman, Attorney General Sessions said he was recusing himself from the matter but obviously played a leading role in the firing of Comey, he's playing a leading role in the hiring of his replacement. Do you have concerns about that?REP. STEPHANIE MURPHY (D), FLORIDA: Absolutely I do have concerns about that. We know that Attorney General Sessions recused himself because he had had contact with Russian government officials and I'm somebody who has had one of the highest clearances in this country and I know that --
TAPPER: You used to serve at the Pentagon.
MURPHY: That's correct.
And I know that there's no such thing as appropriate contact with a hostile foreign government, and so he's recused himself from the Russian investigation. I don't believe that he should be involved in selecting the FBI director. We need to have somebody who is beyond reproach in that position.
So, any contact with the Russians is now inappropriate, probably treasonous, in the eyes of Democrats. A run-in at Starbucks is collusion; passing each other in the street is treason; and attending Obama White House sponsored events, like bringing ambassadors to both of the parties’ national conventions last year, is pernicious subterfuge. Sen. Claire McCaskill erroneously said that she never met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak; she did. Do we need to investigate her? Also, let’s not forget that it’s not unusual that Sessions had contact with the Russians. He was a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Meeting with foreign officials is part of the job description, not to mention that foreign officials meeting with members of Congress is a regular occurrence on the Hill. If Murphy, and the rest of her party are referencing the questions by Sens. Leahy (D-VT) and Franken (D-MN), Franken was asking about the unverified Russian dossier that outlined possible communications between Russian intelligence and Trump surrogates. Sessions said he was unaware of such communications that might have occurred during the campaign, though he acknowledged that he’s been called a surrogate. Leahy asked point blank if he was approached by the Russians to discuss matters relating to the 2016 election. Sessions also denied having such communications. The Left pounced on this as a sign of perjury. It’s not. Sessions told the truth, even The Washington Post admitted that Democrats were overreaching on this one. Sessions only met with Kislyak twice, and there was nothing illegal about their meetings.
This perfectly demonstrates the “neo-McCarthyite” furor that has embroiled the Democratic Party.
(H/T Michael Tracey)