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Website falsely claims Jeff Sessions 'caught colluding with Obama'
A website called the Conservative Patriot falsely claimed Attorney General Jeff Sessions was "caught colluding with Obama."
There are no legitimate news reports to back up the headline of the April 1 post published on theconspatriot.com, and the story does not offer any evidence either. The Justice Department declined to comment.
Facebook flagged this story as part of its efforts to combat false news and misinformation on Facebook's News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
The Conservative Patriot’s story recaps President Donald Trump’s displeasure with Sessions’s recusal from the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russians.
The story includes comments on Fox News’ Hannity from legal and political analyst Gregg Jarrett, who said Sessions "betrayed the president" because he didn’t tell him that he would recuse himself from the investigation.
In the same interview, Sara Carter, a Fox news contributor, said Sessions "was being advised badly" at the time, and Jarrett interjected to say, "by Obama’s holdovers."
In March 2017, Sessions said he consulted "senior officials" about his role in the investigation and that "my staff recommend recusal." In a press release, Sessions said he "met with the relevant senior career Department officials" and after meetings, decided to recuse himself from investigations related to the campaigns for presidency.
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Still, that does not prove "colluding with Obama."
Here’s what Sessions then said in a press conference about the recusal:
"I have been here just three weeks today. A lot has been happening in this three-week period. I wish I'd had more of my staff on board, but we're still waiting for confirmation for them.
"Much has been done. Much needs to be done. But I did and have done as I promised. I have met with senior officials shortly after arriving here. We evaluated the rules of ethics and recusal. I have considered the issues at stake. …
"I asked for their candid and honest opinion about what I should do about investigations, certain investigations. And my staff recommended recusal. They said that since I had involvement with the campaign, I should not be involved in any campaign investigation. I have studied the rules and considered their comments and evaluation. I believe those recommendations are right and just. Therefore, I have recused myself in the matters that deal with the Trump campaign."
A headline on the Conservative Patriot blog claimed Sessions was "caught colluding with Obama." But there is no evidence of that.
We rate the claim Pants on Fire!
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Our Sources
Theconspatriot.com, Jeff Sessions Caught Colluding with Obama, April 1, 2018
U.S. Justice Department, Attorney General Sessions Statement on Recusal, March 2, 2017
C-SPAN, Attorney General Jeff Sessions News Conference, March 2, 2017
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Website falsely claims Jeff Sessions 'caught colluding with Obama'
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