Once again, Republican Senators have a problem with Kamala Harris (D-CA) being incredibly good at her job. In Thursday’s hearing with Jeff Sessions, she asked him some tough and pointed questions about his communication with Russian officials during the campaign that he has not previously disclosed—either in public or to the Senate Intelligence Committee. His answer: a rambling, incoherent mess in which he stated that he doesn’t “believe” or “recall” that he has had any contact with the Russians. Yeah, right.
Harris: Did you have any communications with Russian officials for any reason during the campaign that have not been disclosed in public or to this committee?
Sessions: I don't recall it, but I have to tell you I cannot testify to what was said as we were standing at the Republican convention before the podium where I spoke.
Harris: My question --
Sessions: I don't have memory naff.
Harris: It is a relates to your knowledge.
Sessions: To the best of my knowledge. A lot of people were at the convention, it's conceivable --
At that point, Harris had enough. Sessions’ attempts to play feeble-minded (although it’s questionable that they were actual attempts) came off insulting to the committee and the American people and were a waste of time. This is when Harris insisted that he answer. Again, he couldn’t. But he certainly could feign innocence and said that being rushed makes him “nervous.”
Harris: Sir.
Sessions: Well, you let me qualify -- if I don't qualify, it you'll accuse me of lying so I need to be correct as best as I can.
Harris: I do want you to be honest.
Sessions: And I'm not to be able to be rushed this fast. It the makes me nervous.
Harris: Are you aware of any communications with other trump campaign officials and associates that they had with Russian officials or any Russian nationals?
Sessions: I don't recall that.
After a wasting time with a series of non-answers and refusal to answer, Harris then asked Sessions to point to a policy that explicitly explained why he couldn’t respond. But then his Republican buddies jumped in and tried to shut her up. What’s obvious here is that Kamala Harris threatens the hell out of these men. Even Jeff Sessions admitted she makes him nervous. A highly educated woman of color, focused on getting answers and who knows what she is doing, grilling the racist, old, incompetent Attorney General in front of the country on TV was way too much to bear. They demanded that she allow him time to answer the question.
Unsurprisingly, this still garnered a non-answer, although her question was relatively straightforward and she’s still very clear about it.
Let’s see what excuse he comes up with now and how the Trump administration spins this. Either way, Kamala Harris remains a force to be reckoned with and its clear that Republicans are terrified of her competence and control.
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