Overnight Defense: Sessions recuses himself from Russia probes | Trump touts defense plans on aircraft carrier | House to vote on defense spending bill
THE TOPLINE: Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself Thursday from federal investigations into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election after it was revealed he twice met with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. last year.
Sessions had said at his confirmation hearing he had no contact with Russians during the election.
The Hill’s Jordan Fabian has more on the recusal:
“I have recused myself in the matters that deal with the Trump campaign,” he said at a press conference.
Sessions had come under mounting bipartisan pressure to recuse himself after it was revealed late Wednesday that he spoke twice with the Russian envoy last year and failed to tell senators during his confirmation hearing.
{mosads}Key Republicans, including House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and former Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) as well as three GOP senators, called on Sessions to step aside from any probe.
And huge numbers of Democrats also called for his recusal, and with many — led by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) — calling for him to resign from the Justice Department completely.
The Hill has also been rounding up statements from lawmakers. Check out the latest on the controversy in our live blog, found here.
TRUMP VISITS AIRCRAFT CARRIER: As the controversy around Sessions swirled in D.C., President Trump headed to Newport News, Va., to tout his planned defense budget in a speech aboard the soon-to-be-commissioned U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier.
The speech was more notable for what wasn’t said than what was — Trump didn’t mention the Sessions controversy.
In terms of his defense budget, Trump repeated his promise for a “great rebuilding” of the military.
“We are going to have very soon the finest equipment in the world,” Trump said. “We will give our military the tools you need to prevent war, and if required to fight war and only to do one thing. You know what that is? Win. Win. We’re going to start winning again.”
Trump has proposed a $603 billion base defense budget for fiscal 2018.
The Hill’s Max Greenwood has more on the speech here.
HOUSE TO TACKLE 2017 DEFENSE SPENDING: Before Congress can get to Trump’s fiscal 2018 proposal, it needs to pass spending bills for fiscal 2017, and lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill for defense.
House appropriators unveiled a $577.9 billion fiscal 2017 defense spending bill in hopes of passing it quickly so that lawmakers can tackle a pending supplemental funding request and the fiscal 2018 budget.
“The singular most important duty of Congress is to provide for our nation’s defense, and the rebuilding of our nation’s military starts with this bill,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) said in a statement. “This legislation provides responsible funding to ensure that our troops have the resources they need to remain the very best in the world, and to fulfill the mission of protecting our country and our way of life.”
The bill, which is expected to be voted on in the House next week, would split the funding between $516.1 billion for base budget needs and $61.8 billion for a war fund known as the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account.
US FORCES STRIKE AL QAEDA IN YEMEN: The U.S. military battered al Qaeda’s Yemeni branch with more than 20 airstrikes overnight Thursday in the first known military operation in the country since a controversial raid that left one Navy SEAL dead.
“U.S. forces conducted a series of precision strikes in Yemen against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, in the early morning of March 2,” Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said in a statement Thursday. “More than 20 strikes targeted AQAP militants, equipment and infrastructure in the Yemeni governorates of Abyan, al Bayda and Shabwah.”
The strikes were done in partnership with the Yemeni government, Davis added.
“The strikes will degrade the AQAP’s ability to coordinate external terror attacks and limit their ability to use territory seized from the legitimate government of Yemen as a safe space for terror plotting,” Davis said. “AQAP has taken advantage of ungoverned spaces in Yemen to plot, direct and inspire terror attacks against the United States and our allies. U.S. forces will continue to work with the government of Yemen to defeat AQAP and deny it the ability to operate in Yemen.”
ON TAP FOR TOMORROW:
Chief advisor to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks about reform in Afghanistan and relations with the new U.S. administration at 12:30 p.m. at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. http://bit.ly/2myjvDG
ICYMI:
— The Hill: Judiciary Dems want Sessions to testify on Russia conversations
— The Hill: Graham: FBI must say if it’s probing Trump-Russia connections
— The Hill: Senate Intel chairman defends Sessions
— The Hill: Top Intel Dem: FBI director holding back Russia info
— Wall Street Journal: White House Options on North Korea Include Use of Military Force
— Associated Press: North Korea vows toughest response to South Korea-U.S. drills
— Stars and Stripes: Lawmakers try again to accelerate discipline of VA employees; union fights back
Please send tips and comments to Rebecca Kheel, rkheel@digital-release.thehill.com
Follow us on Twitter: @thehill, @Rebecca_H_K
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
