Attorney General A General Embarrassment To The Legal Profession (VIDEO)

Every time I see Jeff Sessions on the TV, the attorney in me shudders. I’m proud to be a part of the profession, I worked hard to graduate from law school and even harder to pass the bar exam. And despite all the jokes, as attorneys we take ethics very seriously. I take ethics very seriously.

So this week has been particularly cringeworthy.

This week’s debacle with the Attorney General is not what you’d like to see from the highest law enforcement official in the nation. And for me, it’s not what I’d like to see from a fellow attorney.

Conflicts of interest are a major issue with attorneys. In order to represent a client zealously, it is important to make sure that there is nothing that could affect that representation. Even if you believe it won’t, the rule still exists and you should refrain from representing that client.

The way Sessions hedged his bets during his confirmation hearings was the first red flag. When asked about potential conflicts in case of an investigation into the Russians, he demurred. He might recuse himself, he said, if it was necessary and after meeting with his staff and others in his department. That’s what he did. What he should have done was unequivocally recuse himself as soon as the topic of an investigation came up. The potential conflict of interest and his involvement with the campaign should have made that path clear.

It was only after his meetings with the Russian ambassador came to light that he finally did recuse himself. Would he have done so if they hadn’t? We’ll never know.

Some people are crying perjury after the Sessions revelations, but the legal reality is that it would be hard to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Any prosecutor would have to prove that Sessions intended to lie. That means offering evidence of his state of mind, which can be incredibly tricky.

Ex-Bush ethics lawyer Richard Painter comes closest to describing my feelings on the matter:

“I don’t think he can continue as attorney general… I don’t think he was truthful with the Senate. He did not provide provide [sic] full and complete information.”

To me, it is as simple as that. When your job is to be the most powerful and prominent law enforcement officer in the United States, you should be trustworthy. When a client comes to me, they put their trust in me to represent them to the best of my abilities in the most honest and zealous manner possible. I don’t know if I’d trust Jeff Sessions now.

I take my ethics seriously, Mr. Sessions. Do you?

Watch Mr. Painter’s comments here:

Featured image: Screenshot via YouTube video