To the editor:

Our Senator Al Franken has again, wittingly or unwittingly, started a tempest in a teapot. His question to then Senator Jeff Sessions at his Senate Judiciary Confirmation Hearing for Attorney General was, I think, a convoluted, hypothetical, what-if type question.

Here is the complete transcript of Franken’s question: “CNN has just published a story alleging the intelligence community has provided documents to the president-elect last week that included quote: ‘Russian operatives claimed to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump.’ These documents also allegedly say quote, ‘There was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between Trump’s surrogates and intermediaries for the Russian government.’ Now, again, I’m telling you this is coming out so you know. But if it’s true it’s obviously extremely serious and if there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do?”

Here is the complete transcript of Sessions response: “Senator Franken, I am not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate in that campaign a time or two and I didn’t have � did not have communications with the Russians and I am unable to comment on it.”

I believe it reasonable to expect Sessions understood Franken’s question related to activities as a surrogate for the Trump campaign, not discussions in his Senate office related to his position as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The CNN report admitted they had no evidence to support the allegations. The FBI said the CNN report was “not accurate”. Sunday on NBC TV James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence during the Obama Administration, said “he was not aware of any evidence showing the Trump campaign had colluded with the Russian government…”. Also Sunday In a FOX TV interview Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), a member of the Intelligence Committee, was forced to admit there was “no hard evidence” of any collusion.

Suggestions Sessions committed perjury or should resign as Attorney General are, in my opinion, totally without merit!

Bob Jentges

North Mankato