WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — At issue was a meeting between outgoing President Barack Obama’s Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton at a time when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was investigating Clinton’s use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of state.
"I, like a lot of people, made comments about the issues in that [presidential] campaign with regard to Secretary Clinton," Sessions said. "I’ve given that thought. I believe the proper thing for me to do would be to recuse myself from any questions… that involve Secretary Clinton that were raised in the campaign."
"Attorney General Lynch did not appoint a special prosecutor [for Clinton] and I did criticize that," Sessions told lawmakers referring Clinton’s use of a private email server and account during her tenure as secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.
Sessions characterized his criticism as the reaction of a politician in the heat of a presidential campaign, a role that would change if he is confirmed as US attorney general.
The attorney general has the authority to appoint outside prosecutors in cases where political considerations make objectivity questionable within the US Department of Justice.
"Great care should be taken" in any decision to seek an outside prosecutor, Sessions said. "I don’t think it’s appropriate for the attorney general just to willy-nilly create special prosecutors but there times when objectivity is required and the absolute appearance of objectivity is required and perhaps a special prosecutor is appropriate."
Unlike Lynch, Sessions said there is a formal recusal process that he would follow in questions concerning Clinton.
In the Clinton email case, Lynch recommended against criminally prosecuting Clinton after FBI Director James Comey recommended that the former secretary of state not be charged with any crime over her handling of classified information with her unsecured email system.
