As the investigation into Donald Trump’s Russia scandal has unfolded, we’ve seen no shortage of milestones. Today, as the New York Times reports, we’ve learned of a pretty big one:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions was questioned for several hours last week by the special counsel’s office as part of the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the election and whether the president obstructed justice since taking office, according to a Justice Department spokeswoman.
The meeting marked the first time that investigators for the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, are known to have interviewed a member of Mr. Trump’s cabinet.
Not surprisingly, we don’t yet know any details about the nature of the Q&A or what specifically was discussed, but the list of possible topics isn’t short.
We know, for example, that Sessions may have lied under oath during his confirmation hearings about his communications with Russians during the 2016 election, and I imagine Mueller and his team might be interested in learning more about those private chats.
Sessions also played a role in the firing of former FBI Director James Comey — a subject that appears to be of interest to the special counsel’s investigation, since it may offer evidence of the president obstructing justice.
But against the backdrop of these questions, let’s also pause to appreciate the magnitude of the circumstances: in one of the most serious scandals in American history, the nation’s chief law enforcement officer was questioned for several hours as part of a growing counter-espionage investigation.
That’s no small development.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."