Rep. Trey Gowdy said the conversation about any liabilities Jeff Sessions may have had pertaining to Russia should have happened long before the attorney general recused himself over it.
But as it stands now, the situation "does not look great" for Sessions, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" host Bill Hemmer on Tuesday.
"The tweets are not helpful for long-term employment," Gowdy, R-South Carolina, told Hemmer. "That is between him and the president."
Gowdy said not only would it have been appropriate for President Donald Trump's team to have a conversation with Sessions about any liabilities regarding Russia — it should have happened.
"'Is there any reason you know of that you should not take the job? Are there any limitations on your ability to take the job?' All of us who take jobs get asked that," Gowdy said.
"'Is there anything in the background that I should know about?' 'Yes, Mr. President, I met with Russians during the campaign. When I was out there trying to help you get elected,'" Gowdy said. "These conversations are always better on the front end than afterwards. Again, the attorney general forgot about some of these contacts. That is what led to the recusal.
"The president is frustrated he picked an attorney general that had to recuse himself," Gowdy said. "The recusal was appropriate, but I do understand the president's frustration; 'I wish you had told me this when you were interviewing for the job, perhaps I would have picked someone else.'"
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