Sessions Rebuffs GOP Call for Special Counsel on Clinton, Comey

(Bloomberg) -- Pressed during a Congressional hearing to commit to a probe into the Obama administration, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivered a blunt retort: Not yet.

Nearly two hours into his grilling by the House Judiciary Committee, Sessions was confronted with a list of allegations by Representative Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican. Jordan’s bullet points were familiar, including Hillary Clinton’s emails and FBI director James Comey’s public exhonerations of her. 

Republicans on the committee have asked Sessions twice this year to appoint a special counsel to investigate the allegations. Before the hearings, Sessions directed senior prosecutors to review the matter.

Now under oath, Sessions was pressed by Jordan to appoint a special counsel. Jordan said it looks like there’s more than enough to proceed. “‘Looks like’ is not enough of a basis to appoint a special counsel," Sessions said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Farrell in New York at gregfarrell@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jeffrey D Grocott at jgrocott2@bloomberg.net.

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