Sessions defends Lynch’s use of an email pseudonym: ‘I have a pseudonym’

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday defended former Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s use of an email pseudonym, saying that it’s common among Cabinet officials, including himself.

During a Senate hearing, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) asked Sessions whether he had recused himself from looking into Lynch’s use of the pseudonym “Elizabeth Carlisle” while in office.

“I would say in defense of Attorney General Lynch, I have a pseudonym also. I understand all cabinet officials do, and maybe some subcabinet officials do. She would probably have been following the advice of the Department of Justice,” Sessions said.

“I’m no longer interested in that,” Gaetz interjected, trying to move on. {mosads}

It was revealed in August that Lynch used the name Elizabeth Carlisle as an alias for her official Justice Department email account.

It is not uncommon for Cabinet secretaries to use an email alias for security reasons, although the practice can make it more difficult for reporters to FOIA government documents.

Lynch’s predecessor, former Attorney General Eric Holder, used the alias “Lew Alcindor” — the birth name of basketball icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — for his emails.

The revelation of Lynch’s pseudonym added to speculation and skepticism on the right that she may have interfered in the FBI’s investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server during her time as secretary of State.