For the better part of the last two years, Donald Trump has been forced to deal with the ongoing scandal involving Russia being linked to his past campaign and current administration. The latest twist comes from the testimony of current Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has been outed as meeting with Russian officials on more than one occasion over the last year.
Sessions testifies
Not long after Donald Trump officially launched his campaign for president, he was hit with allegations that he was somehow in cahoots with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.
From refusing to release his tax returns, to praising Russian President Vladimir Putin, to dealing with former and present advisers and associates being caught with ties to the Kremlin, the former host of "The Apprentice" has been backed into a corner on a daily basis. As expected, Trump and his team have denied any wrongdoing, with the president accusing the media of pushing "fake news," while claiming he is part of an orchestrated witch-hunt created by the Democratic Party. Over the last month, the focus has shifted to the recent firing of former FBI Director James Comey, who testified in Congress last week. Comey went on to claim that Trump had lied about his exit from the FBI, which triggered instant denial from the president and his legal team.
In addition to new information surrounding son-in-law Jared Kushner and his reported involvement of setting up a back channel to communicate with Russia, Attorney General Jeff Sessions testified in front of the Senate on June 13.
#JeffSessions testied that suggestions he colluded with Russia is a "detestable lie." https://t.co/7wBfT4hOPc pic.twitter.com/5tCB5io11i
— USA TODAY Video (@usatodayvideo) June 13, 2017
On Tuesday afternoon, Jeff Sessions made his long-awaited testimony in Congress regarding the investigation surrounding Russia.
During the testimony, Sessions attempted to defend himself from the allegations that he secretly met with Russian officials over the last year, as well as other tidbits pertaining to the investigation.
Burr: "But you never remember having a conversation or a meeting with Ambassador Kislyak?"
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 13, 2017
Sessions: "I do not." https://t.co/iyqKhRuBYt pic.twitter.com/x19BpPXX6Q
"I did not recuse myself from defending my honor from false & scurrilous accusations," Jeff Sessions said, before claiming he had "no recollection" about meeting the Russian Ambassador during a Trump campaign event last year.
Not stopping there, Sessions stated that it was "appalling and a detestable lie" to suggest that the president and his campaign were in collusion with Russia. A defiant Sessions went on to touch on several other topics, which didn't go over well with many liberals on social media.
Twitter reacts
As Jeff Sessions gave his testimony, social media users didn't hold back their thoughts, with many pushing back against the controversial attorney general. "Kind of wishing SNL had new episodes over the summer right about now," actor George Takei tweeted out.
Kind of wishing SNL had new episodes over the summer right about now.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) June 13, 2017
Sessions follows the Trump formula: "I did nothing improper but really it wouldn't have been improper even if I did."
— Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) June 13, 2017
Jeff Sessions sounds like Forest Gump narrating a History Of Treason.#SessionsHearing #JeffSessions
— Greg Hogben (@MyDaughtersArmy) June 13, 2017
"Sessions follows the Trump formula: "I did nothing improper but really it wouldn't have been improper even if I did," MSNBC host Joy Reid wrote on her Twitter account.
"Very telling at #SessionsHearing that #JeffSessions opening stmt failed to explain why he lied in writing to Sen Leahy about Russian mtgs," Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu tweeted.
#JeffSessions is a great reminder that racists also smile, wear nice clothes and have excellent manners.
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) June 13, 2017
Very telling at #SessionsHearing that #JeffSessions opening stmt failed to explain why he lied in writing to Sen Leahy about Russian mtgs.
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 13, 2017
#JeffSessions looks like some racist Keebler Elf trying to remember if he baked cookies for a foreign government or not... #SessionsHearing
— Cyrus McQueen (@CyrusMMcQueen) June 13, 2017
"Jeff Sessions is a great reminder that racists also smile, wear nice clothes and have excellent manners," writer Wajahat Ali wrote. As Sessions continued to give his testimony, the negative reaction from critics on social media showed no signs of slowing down.