Attorney General Jeff Sessions testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday, where he was grilled in regards to the Russia investigation. Sessions drew criticism from many by appearing to be evasive on some questions in regards to his communications with President Trump. This did not sit well with CBS Evening News, where Anchor Scott Pelley chided that “today, the attorney general was more measured [than Trump], even though he declined to answer some of the most revealing questions.” CBS’s disgust didn’t end there, they seriously asserted Session should be held in contempt of Congress.
The network initially floated the idea after their first of four reports dealing with the Sessions hearing and the Russia investigation. “Sessions said he recommended Comey's firing because of his handling of the Clinton e-mail case last year,” Correspondent Nancy Cordes noted as she was wrapping up her report. “Still, one top Democrat said tonight, Scott, that perhaps Sessions and other top officials should be held in contempt of Congress if they won't answer these questions about the President.”
A short time later, Pelley brought on John Dickerson, the host of Face the Nation to discuss Sessions’ hearing. “Now, we saw in Nancy's piece, the Attorney General declining to answer many questions. Where does that go from here,” Pelley wanted to know.
And without missing a beat, Dickerson asserted that Sessions should be held in contempt of Congress and slammed Congressional Republicans as the only people stopping it. “Well, what would happen next is Congress would have to hold him in contempt, but there are Republicans who are running Congress. They're unlikely to do that,” he claimed.
“But were they to hold him in contempt, then the courts would have—then the President would have to assert executive privilege and then courts would have to work it out,” Dickerson continued. “But for right now, he's not talking much, and there are other officials who aren't as well.” And in response, Pelley quipped about how there was “so far to go.”
CBS has often shown its hypocrisy when it comes to wanting Sessions held accountable when they didn’t for Obama Attorney General Eric Holder.
In early March, when news first broke that Sessions had a meeting with the Russian ambassador, CBS had dedicated 28 minutes and 42 seconds to the story. In contrast, CBS and the other Big Three Networks dedicated a combined total of 10 minutes and 38 seconds to Holder becoming the first cabinet member in history to actually be held in contempt of Congress.
Holder was held in contempt for failing to cooperate in the House investigation into the botched gun-running scheme, Operation Fast and Furious. It’s again hypocritical for CBS to rush and assert Sessions deserved to be held in contempt when they had to be dragged to Holder’s actual contempt ruling.
Even more recently, CBS failed to report a House Oversight Committee report that detailed how Holder and the Obama administration impeded the House Oversight investigation and lied to the parents of slain Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.
Transcript below:
CBS Evening News
June 13, 2017
6:31:17 PM EasternSOTT PELLEY: Today, the nation's top law enforcement officer, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, refuted what he called "appalling and detestable" lies. Sessions asked for today's hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation of Russian tampering in the presidential election. This was the administration's first sworn rebuttal of former FBI Director James Comey, who testified last week that the President pressured him to drop the investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. President Trump called Comey a “coward” and “a nut job.” Today, the attorney general was more measured, even though he declined to answer some of the most revealing questions.
(…)
NANCY CORDES: Sessions said he recommended Comey's firing because of his handling of the Clinton e-mail case last year. Still, one top Democrat said tonight, Scott, that perhaps Sessions and other top officials should be held in contempt of Congress if they won't answer these questions about the President.
(…)
6:38:17 PM Eastern
PELLEY: Now, we saw in Nancy's piece, the Attorney General declining to answer many questions. Where does that go from here?
JOHN DICKERSON: Well, he's asserting a privilege the President has not asserted. So he's saying the President someday might assert executive privilege. Well, what would happen next is Congress would have to hold him in contempt, but there are Republicans who are running Congress. They're unlikely to do that. But were they to hold him in contempt, then the courts would have—then the President would have to assert executive privilege and then courts would have to work it out. But for right now, he's not talking much, and there are other officials who aren't as well.
PELLEY: So far to go.
