Sessions recuses himself from Russia-Trump campaign investigations ... Pence used a personal email -- and got hacked ... Rand Paul's odyssey

View this email in your browser March 2, 2017   |   by Eric Bradner and Daniella Diaz Sessions recuses himself from Russia investigations Attorney General Jeff Sessions bowed to intense political pressure and recused himself from any investigation related to President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Sessions acted after it emerged that he had failed at his Senate confirmation hearing to disclose two pre-election meetings with Russia's ambassador to Washington, at a time when Moscow was accused of interfering in the presidential race. What Sessions said: "I have decided to recuse myself from any existing or future investigations of any matters related in any way to the campaigns for President of the United States." Trump weighs in: Here's the statement the President released tonight: "Jeff Sessions is an honest man. He did not say anything wrong. He could have stated his response more accurately, but it was clearly not intentional. This whole narrative is a way of saving face for Democrats losing an election that everyone thought they were supposed to win. The Democrats are overplaying their hand. They lost the election and now, they have lost their grip on reality. The real story is all of the illegal leaks of classified and other information. It is a total witch hunt!" More Russian ambassador meetings: Trump's senior aide Jared Kushner and ousted adviser Michael Flynn met with the Russian ambassador to the United States at a time when the Trump administration's relationship with the Russians was under scrutiny. Pence used a personal email -- and got hacked The Indianapolis Star's Tony Cook drops this story tonight: "Vice President Mike Pence routinely used a private email account to conduct public business as governor of Indiana, at times discussing sensitive matters and homeland security issues. Emails released to IndyStar in response to a public records request show Pence communicated via his personal AOL account with top advisers on topics ranging from security gates at the governor's residence to the state's response to terror attacks across the globe. In one email, Pence's top state homeland security adviser relayed an update from the FBI regarding the arrests of several men on federal terror-related charges." Reminder: Pence got hacked last year. "Pence's personal email was hacked by a scammer asking for money, and Pence has since changed the AOL account," The Star's Maureen Groppe reported last June. Pence's wiggle room here: Indiana law didn't require him to use a public email for public business. Pulling their hair out right now: Every Hillary Clinton campaign staffer. STRAIGHT UP "You know the cleansing that the Orientals used to do where you'd put one person out in front and 900 people yell at them? That's not what we need. We need to have meetings with people that are productive."   -- Rep. Mike Bost, R-Illinois, on why he won't host in-person town halls. He later said he regretted his choice of words. BUZZING Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was on a mission today to find the House's in-progress Obamacare bill that's "under lock and key," for the American people, he said. First, the GOP Kentucky senator announced his mission in a tweet: Then, Paul said he was headed to the secure location to demand a copy: So, the question was ... Where's the bill? According to Rep. Justin Amash, "It's in a safe space." So he went looking: Paul ventured to the House after reports surfaced that House Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee were being granted an opportunity to review the current draft of the Obamacare repeal legislation and ask questions behind closed doors. Opposed to the House legislation's principles, Paul said he wanted to see the bill himself even though he didn't serve on the committee. He was joined by other lawmakers, to no avail: At one point, the GOP staff allowed House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, Rep. Joe Kennedy and a dozen or so reporters into the room to inspect it themselves. It was, in fact, bill-less. Hoyer proceeded to hold an impromptu news conference near a bust of President Abraham Lincoln a few feet away from the misidentified room. He then held an imaginary conversation with the 16th president about what Hoyer said was the poor state of the Republican Party. Yes, you read that right. Rep. Greg Walden, the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, downplayed perceptions of secrecy in a statement. "Reports that the Energy and Commerce Committee is doing anything other than the regular process of keeping its members up to speed on latest developments in its jurisdictions are false. Simply put, Energy and Commerce majority members and staff are continuing to discuss and refine draft legislative language on issues under our committee's jurisdiction," he said. TIPSY Tom Hanks gifts White House press with espresso machine: Actor Tom Hanks surprised the press corps for the third time in 13 years with an espresso machine and added an encouraging note. "Keep up the good fight for the truth, justice and the American way," Hanks wrote. "Especially for the Truth part." More from CNN's Allie Malloy.  LAST CALL 3 things you might have missed today Obama to receive JFK foundation's "Profile in Courage" award: Former President Barack Obama has been named the 2017 "Profile in Courage" award honoree by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation for "expanding health security for millions of Americans, restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba and leading a landmark international accord to combat climate change." More from CNN's Sophie Tatum. The Senate confirms Carson and Perry to Trump's Cabinet: The chamber confirmed retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson as secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and then later in the afternoon approved former Texas Gov. Rick Perry as energy secretary. More from CNN's Ted Barrett. US tries to ID hundreds of al Qaeda contacts thanks to Yemen raid: Several US officials told CNN the United States is now taking action to locate and monitor hundreds of people or "contacts" found as part of the intelligence retrieved during the deadly raid last month in Yemen targeting al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. More from CNN's Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne. CLOSING TIME Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke rode a horse alongside US Park Police officers in Washington today. ... First lady Melania Trump made a surprise visit to New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center today, meeting and reading to children in the pediatrics unit playroom. Thanks for reading the CNN Politics Nightcap. Your bartenders are Eric Bradner and Daniella Diaz. The tip jar: nightcap@cnn.com. We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Check out Five Things for Your New Day, CNN's morning newsletter. Give us five minutes, and we'll brief you on all the news and buzz people will be talking about. Share Tweet Forward Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. Your bartender for CNN Politics' Nightcap is Eric Bradner (@ericbradner) — Tips, thoughts and beer recommendations are always welcome at nightcap@cnn.com. Copyright © 2017 Cable News Network, LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved., All rights reserved. You are receiving this message because you subscribed to the CNN Politics Nightcap newsletter. Our mailing address is: Cable News Network, LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. 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