Why Are We Hearing About The Clinton Foundation And Jeff Sessions?

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions apparently isn't ruling out possibly appointing a special counsel to investigate The Clinton Foundation.

Let's back up: Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee sent letters to Sessions in July and September asking for a special counsel to look into more than a dozen issues.

Listed among those issues was the sale of mining company Uranium One to Russia and possible ties to The Clinton Foundation.

Specifically, if the approval of the sale was linked to donations to the foundation and what role, if any, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton played.

Congress Launches Dual Investigation Into Sale Of US Uranium To Russia

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The committee members say they're also concerned about what they call "potentially unlawful international dealings" and alleged connections between foreign entities and the Clinton campaign or foundation.

Now, a Justice Department letter dated Nov. 13 says Sessions directed federal prosecutors to "evaluate certain issues" from the list of concerns and figure out if they warrant additional resources or a special counsel.

But even though a special counsel hasn't been appointed, questions about the independence of the hypothetical investigation are already swirling.

That's because the Justice Department is supposed to be independent of politics. And, President Donald Trump has repeatedly shown disappointment that the department isn't looking into "Crooked Hillary."

The New York Times points to another possible motivator: Sessions is trying to save his job and make Trump happy.