The growing seriousness of the Russia investigation on Trump seems to loom even less over the administration with recent developments from congressional committee hearings and with President Trump's latest threats of wanting to fire special prosecutor Robert Mueller.
The recent hearings held with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, to some, gave the appearance that he was being rather chummy with other senators or rather, former colleagues.
As the Washington Post pointed out in an article titled: "Jeff Session's grilling highlights the tension between chumminess of Senate, the seriousness of Russia probe," the "chumminess" was described as taking place during the closing minutes of the hearing.
GOP basketball team reference
The article referred to when Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) mentioned Sessions' replacement Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) saying that his height made Burr regret that Senate Republicans were not a basketball team which got a chuckle from Sessions who said he was a "good player."
Burr also told Jeff Sessions that they were grateful to him and his wife for their contribution to the congressional institution and the new Trump administration.
In the meantime, Democrats wasted no time going after the Attorney General from the dais which the Post article describes as them hitting him like a piñata.
The Post article -- as well as other media outlets -- pointed to Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Cali.) as pressing harder on Sessions than anyone else which was one of the moments where the Attorney General showed that he was flustered over the questioning. He said that her line of questioning gave him little time to respond and he admitted openly and quite aggressively that her process made him nervous. At a certain point, Sen. Jon McCain (D-AZ.) jumped in to chide Harris for not giving the Attorney General a chance to answer.
Combative political climate
This is not the first time that this happened as one hearing by the same committee showed last week, Harris also went after Justice and intelligence officials for where McCain also went after her as well.
Senator Burr, another Republican, also took that chance to admonish Harris to let Sessions answer and then called Harris' time. As Blasting News reported, Sen. Harris' supporters did not respond too kindly on social media to Burr's "manterruptions" when they happened the first time either. Another moment when Sessions got flustered was with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) where the Attorney General said that secret innuendo was being leaked out about him and that he didn't appreciate it.
His opening statements also seemed to set the tone that he didn't appreciate the charge that he had colluded with Russian officials. But despite this, Jeff Sessions had already canceled his appearance with the Senate Judiciary Committee and according to the Post article, preferred the hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee because they did not have jurisdiction over his department as the judiciary committee did. Instead, he sent Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
During that hearing, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT.) told Rosenstein that he was not the person they wanted to speak to and noted last week during reports of Sessions' cancellation that it was the second time the Attorney General had canceled.