Fascism Watch, March 1

Me: Trump’s speech went over well, so the halo effect should last a couple of days, right?

Trump team: Hold my beer.

https://twitter.com/BenjySarlin/status/837131326599876612

Let’s start with the part where Jeff Sessions perjured himself:

Sessions met with Russian envoy twice last year, encounters he later did not disclose

The previously undisclosed discussions could fuel new congressional calls for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russia’s alleged role in the 2016 presidential election. As attorney general, Sessions oversees the Justice Department and the FBI, which have been leading investigations into Russian meddling and any links to Trump’s associates. He has so far resisted calls to recuse himself.

When Sessions spoke with Kislyak in July and September, the senator was a senior member of the influential Armed Services Committee as well as one of Trump’s top foreign policy advisers. Sessions played a prominent role supporting Trump on the stump after formally joining the campaign in February 2016.

At his Jan. 10 Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, Sessions was asked by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) what he would do if he learned of any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of the 2016 campaign.

“I’m not aware of any of those activities,” he responded. He added: “I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians.”

https://twitter.com/michaeldweiss/status/837142268905652226

… and now back to Russia.

Obama Administration Rushed to Preserve Intelligence of Russian Election Hacking

Former American officials say they had two aims: to ensure that such meddling isn’t duplicated in future American or European elections, and to leave a clear trail of intelligence for government investigators.

It’s now political suicide for Republicans if they don’t call for a deeper investigations on Russia

Remember that dossier on Trump and Russia? Here are 16 reasons we now know it wasn’t “fake news.”

The State of Trump’s State Department

Officials: Still No Actionable Intel from Yemen SEAL Raid

Media people in my feed (left) viewed Trump's Navy SEAL moment last night very differently from the veterans (right). A story in two images: pic.twitter.com/P2vlptE5B1

— Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) March 1, 2017

DREAMer Daniela Vargas was detained by federal agents moments after leaving a news conference where she spoke about her fear of being deported.

Trump misled reporters on immigration to get good coverage pre-speech.