Jeff Sessions

HHS Inspector General Reveals Thousands More Children Separated Than Disclosed

| Importance: 8/10

A damning report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General revealed on January 17, 2019 that the Trump administration had separated thousands more children from their parents than previously disclosed, beginning as early as summer 2017—nearly a year before the …

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Trump Signs Executive Order "Ending" Family Separation After International Outcry

| Importance: 8/10

After weeks of international condemnation and bipartisan criticism, President Trump signed an executive order on June 20, 2018 ostensibly ending the family separation policy his administration had deliberately implemented. The order came after intense public pressure, including from many …

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Trump Family Separation Policy Detains 5,500 Children in Cages

| Importance: 9/10

The Trump administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ family separation policy forcibly removed over 5,500 children from their parents at the border, detaining them in cages at facilities described as ‘concentration camps’ by historians. Children as young as 4 months were taken, …

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Kirstjen Nielsen Defends Family Separation as Deterrent, Later Denies Policy Exists

| Importance: 8/10

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen explicitly acknowledged in a May 10, 2018 NPR interview that the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policy would necessarily separate families, defending the practice as equivalent to standard law enforcement. Yet within weeks, Nielsen would …

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Jeff Sessions Announces "Zero Tolerance" Policy Designed to Separate Families

| Importance: 9/10

On April 6, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a “zero tolerance” policy for unauthorized border crossings that was explicitly designed to separate children from their parents as a deterrent to asylum seekers and migrants. The policy marked a deliberate escalation from …

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Rosenstein Appoints Robert Mueller as Special Counsel for Russia Investigation - Direct Response to Trump's Obstruction

| Importance: 10/10

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III as Special Counsel on May 17, 2017, to oversee the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and any links between the Trump campaign and Russia—just 8 days after Trump fired FBI Director …

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Trump Fires Preet Bharara After Broken Promise to Keep Him - Obstruction Amid Trump-Related Investigations

| Importance: 10/10

President Trump fired U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara on March 11, 2017, after Bharara refused to resign when ordered to do so—breaking Trump’s direct promise made just months earlier at Trump Tower to allow Bharara to keep his position. Bharara, the highly respected U.S. Attorney for the Southern …

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Jeff Sessions Forced to Recuse from Russia Investigation After Perjury About Kislyak Meetings Revealed

| Importance: 10/10

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on March 2, 2017, that he would recuse himself from any investigations related to the 2016 presidential campaign, including Russian interference, following The Washington Post’s revelation that Sessions had lied under oath about his contacts with …

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Private Prison Stocks Soar as CoreCivic, GEO Donate $2.8M to Trump

| Importance: 7/10

Private prison companies CoreCivic and GEO Group saw their stock prices surge 100% and 98% respectively after donating nearly $2.8 million to Trump’s campaign and inauguration. Attorney General Jeff Sessions immediately reversed Obama’s order to phase out private prisons, declaring …

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Trump Asks Comey to "Let Flynn Go" in Private Oval Office Meeting

| Importance: 10/10

The day after National Security Advisor Michael Flynn resigned for lying about his contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, President Trump cleared the Oval Office of other officials—including Attorney General Jeff Sessions and senior advisor Jared Kushner—and asked FBI Director James Comey …

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Jeff Sessions Confirmed as Attorney General After Lying Under Oath About Russia Contacts

| Importance: 9/10

The Senate confirmed Jeff Sessions as Attorney General on February 8, 2017, despite Sessions lying under oath during his confirmation hearing about contacts with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential campaign. When asked by Senator Al Franken whether he had communications with Russians, …

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Trump Fires Acting Attorney General Sally Yates for Refusing to Defend Muslim Ban

| Importance: 10/10

President Trump fired Acting Attorney General Sally Yates within hours of her instructing Justice Department attorneys not to defend Executive Order 13769 (the Muslim ban). Yates had sent a letter to DOJ staff stating she was “not convinced that the defense of the Executive Order is consistent …

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