memeorandum: McCarthy walks back suggestion that Sessions should recuse himself from Russia investigation (Louis Nelson/Politico)

5:20 PM ET, March 2, 2017

Top Items:

Sessions met with Russian envoy twice last year, encounters he later did not disclose — Then-Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) spoke twice last year with Russia's ambassador to the United States, Justice Department officials said, encounters he did not disclose when asked about possible contacts between members …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Breitbart, The Daily Beast, ABC News, Vox, The Atlantic, The Hill, Talking Points Memo, The Guardian, Slate, Mother Jones, ACLU, Fox News, BBC, USA Today, Raw Story, Fox News Insider, CNN, Axios, Mediaite, Daily Kos, BuzzFeed, Business Insider, Western Journalism, Common Dreams, IJR, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller, EXPOSEDbyCMD, The Nation, TheStreet.com, Daily Wire, Rewire, NBC News, Media Matters for America, Hit & Run, Bloomberg, Above the Law, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, AOL, Al Jazeera English, NPR, Politico, twitchy.com, Reuters, Washington Free Beacon, fox4kc.com, WTVR-TV, The Week, TheBlaze, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, The Slot, Hot Air, Right Wing Watch, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Mashable, PinkNews, Taylor Marsh, CANNONFIRE, The Gateway Pundit, Political Insider blog, Gothamist and Outside the Beltway

New York Times:

Kushner and Flynn Met With Russian Envoy in December, White House Says — WASHINGTON — Michael T. Flynn, then Donald J. Trump's incoming national security adviser, had a previously undisclosed meeting with the Russian ambassador in December to “establish a line of communication” …

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, Raw Story and NO QUARTER USA NET

Alex Griswold / Mediaite:

Claire McCaskill Claims She'd Never Meet With Russian Ambassador, But Tweets Prove She Has — In a pointed tweet Thursday, Democratic Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill attacked Attorney General and her former Senate colleague Jeff Sessions for meeting with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 election …

Discussion: America Rising, The Daily Caller, Washington Post, Fox News Insider, Politico, BizPac Review, The Guardian, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Gateway Pundit, Business Insider, Geller Report, Raw Story, Talking Points Memo and RedState

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:

Rep. Schiff accuses Comey of withholding information on Russia probe — The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday accused FBI Director James Comey of withholding crucial information about its probe into Russian interference in the election and raised the prospect of subpoenaing the agency.

Discussion: Little Green Footballs, Axios and Western Journalism

Wall Street Journal:

Donald Trump Jr. Was Likely Paid at Least $50,000 for Event Held by Hosts Allied With Russia on Syria — October appearance by son of then-candidate is one of string of contacts between members of the president's inner circle and individuals connected to Moscow

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mediaite and Raw Story

Kevin Johnson / USA Today:

Sessions was more than Trump surrogate in meetings with Russian envoy — WASHINGTON — At the time Jeff Sessions met with the Russian ambassador to the United States during the midst of last year's bitter campaign, the Alabama senator was not only serving as a surrogate for candidate Donald …

Discussion: Daily Kos

NBC News:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions : ‘I Will Recuse Myself’ If Necessary — Attorney General Jeff Sessions denied meeting with Russian officials during the course of the presidential election to discuss the Trump campaign, he told NBC News in exclusive remarks early Thursday.

Richard W. Painter / New York Times:

Jeff Sessions Needs to Go — In the wake of Wednesday's revelation that Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke with Russia's ambassador to the United States while working with the Trump campaign, despite denying those contacts during his confirmation hearings, key Republican and Democratic lawmakers …

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Washington Monthly, IJR, Sunlight Foundation, Politico, CNN, Vox and Business Insider

Ari Berman / The Nation:

Jeff Sessions Is a Disgrace to the Justice Department — He didn't just lie about Russia—he's put the Trump Administration on the wrong side of every major issue. — By , — US Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) testifies at a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, on January 10, 2017.

Discussion: Washington Post, Advocate, Rewire and ThinkProgress

Erick Erickson / The Resurgent: The Jeff Sessions Attack Is a Nothingburger

The Huffington Post:
Jeff Sessions Called For A Special Counsel After Loretta Lynch Met With Bill Clinton

Discussion: Washington Post, Hot Air, Breitbart, Daily Kos, Media Matters for America and Talking Points Memo

Adrienne LaFrance / The Atlantic:
Why Do the Big Stories Keep Breaking at Night?

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, AOL and The Daily Caller, more at Mediagazer »

Bloomberg: Sessions Removes Himself From Russia Probes Over Envoy

John Hudson / Foreign Policy:
Trump Taps Putin Critic for Senior White House Position

Discussion: Washington Post

Wall Street Journal:
Investigators Probed Jeff Sessions' Contacts With Russian Officials

Discussion: ThinkProgress, al.com, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Business Insider, Mediaite, BuzzFeed, The Hill, Fox News, The Daily Caller, The Resurgent, emptywheel, Washington Post and twitchy.com

Jordan Fabian / The Hill:
Trump has ‘total’ confidence in Sessions

Discussion: Political Wire and The Week

CNN:
Sessions did not disclose meetings with Russian ambassador

Mark Hensch / The Hill:
Sessions offers to recuse himself from Russia investigation

Discussion: Politico, New York Magazine, ABC News, Western Journalism, Washington Post, RedState and Hot Air

Esme Cribb / Talking Points Memo:
Trump Says He Has ‘Total’ Confidence In Sessions Amid Russia Questions

Discussion: Daily Kos

Edmund Kozak / LifeZette:
Sessions Under Fire: GOP Rushes to Eat Their Own Again

Discussion: Fox News and No More Mister Nice Blog

Louis Nelson / Politico:
McCarthy walks back suggestion that Sessions should recuse himself from Russia investigation

Discussion: ABC News, The Hill, 6abc.com and Business Insider

Meghan Keneally / ABC News:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions recusing himself from campaign probes

Discussion: Associated Press, The Daily Caller and Business Insider

Brian Ross / ABC News:
For Donald Trump Jr., lingering questions about meeting with pro-Russia group

Discussion: Hullabaloo

NBC News:
Sessions Met With Russian Ambassador but Didn't Mislead Senate: Spokeswoman

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Vox, Washington Post, FiveThirtyEight, Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, Mother Jones, The Hill, Daily Kos, KTLA, Sputnik International, Raw Story and ThinkProgress

Adam Serwer / The Atlantic:
Jeff Sessions's Unforced Error

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, The Hill, Mother Jones, Breitbart and Daily Kos

New York Times:
Jeff Sessions Recuses Himself From Russia Inquiry

Discussion: Washington Post, Raw Story, Vox, Political Wire, Talking Points Memo, MSNBC, Daily Kos, ThinkProgress, ABC News, Politicus USA, The Guardian, Business Insider and Mediaite

Katie Pavlich / Townhall.com:
BREAKING: House Oversight Chairman Calls On Sessions to Recuse Himself, Clarify Russia Testimony

Discussion: Hot Air

Paul McLeod / BuzzFeed:

Lawmakers Hunt The Capitol For An Obamacare Bill Moved Between Secret Locations — Speaker Paul Ryan says Republicans are unified behind the secret Obamacare replacement plan, but lawmakers were searching in vain for the bill on Thursday. The committee working on the bill says it is still a work in progress.

Discussion: New York Magazine and The Week

Paulina Firozi / The Hill:

Rand Paul blasts GOP for keeping ObamaCare bill in ‘secure location’ — (R-Ky.) on Thursday blasted House Republicans for keeping their ObamaCare repeal and replace legislation under wraps. — “I have been told that the House Obamacare bill is under lock & key, in a secure location …

Discussion: Washington Post, Mother Jones, Washington Monthly, Bloomberg, Talking Points Memo, Common Dreams and The Resurgent

Burgess Everett / Politico:
Paul blocked from seizing GOP Obamacare bill

Discussion: ThinkProgress, New York Daily News, Political Wire and Hot Air

The Huffington Post:

Authorities Arrest 22-Year-Old Dreamer After She Speaks To Media — “I feel like I am an American,” Daniela Vargas said. — WASHINGTON Federal immigration authorities arrested a 22-year-old woman in Jackson, Mississippi, on Wednesday shortly after she spoke to the media about the detention of her family.

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, ThinkProgress, USA Today, Common Dreams, KFOR-TV, CBS News and Daily Kos

ESPN:

Colin Kaepernick to stand during national anthem next season — Quarterback Colin Kaepernick will stand during the national anthem next season, sources told ESPN on Thursday. — Kaepernick no longer wants his method of protest to detract from the positive change he believes has been created, sources told ESPN.

Discussion: USA Today, Breitbart, Daily Wire and CBS Sacramento

Leon Wagener / Daily Mail:

EXCLUSIVE: Barack Obama's close confidante Valerie Jarrett has moved into his new DC home, which is now the nerve center for their plan to mastermind the insurgency against President Trump — Obama's goal is to oust Trump from the presidency either by forcing his resignation or through his impeachment …

Discussion: Fox News, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Western Journalism, The Gateway Pundit, Geller Report, BizPac Review, Washington Free Beacon, Althouse, Fox News Insider, FOX News Radio and The Daily Caller

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

Trump's team nixed ethics course for White House staff — President Donald Trump's team rejected a course for senior White House staff, Cabinet nominees and other political appointees that would have provided training on leadership, ethics and management, according to documents obtained by POLITICO.

Discussion: Mediaite, Common Dreams, Raw Story, New York Magazine and RedState

Amber Phillips / Washington Post:

Democratic congressman: Kellyanne Conway ‘really looked kind of familiar’ kneeling on Oval Office couch — On the list of things to say about any woman — let alone one of the most powerful women in Washington right now — well, this tops it. — At Wednesday's annual Washington Press Club …