Since its beginning, the Trump Administration has been rife with controversy surrounding Russia. This pattern has not ceased. Recently, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was reportedly in communication with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak by the Washington Post. This contrasts with Sessions previous statement that he “did not have communications with the Russians.”

On March 2, Sessions announced that he would be recusing himself from any investigations concerning Trump’s campaign.

This entire problem poses a difficult situation for the American government and its citizens. When Sessions spoke with the Russian ambassador, he was part of the Armed Service Committee and a foreign policy advisor to Trump’s campaign. If he was not involved with Trump’s campaign at the time he spoke to Kislyak, it may have been okay that the two spoke.

The controversy is amplified since several others in Trump’s circle have been accused of improper contact with Russia. During the 2016 election, Russia was accused of trying to influence the American election. Also, members of Trump’s cabinet, such as Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort, have faced accusations of improper contact with Russia.

This to the conclusion that Sesions should not have spoke with the Russian ambassador while he was serving as the Trump campaign’s foreign policy advisor. However, there is no way to change the fact that the conversations took place. Considering the circumstances, one of the best things Sessions could have done was recuse himself.

Recuse is defined as “To disqualify (oneself) as judge in a particular case; broadly: to remove (oneself) from participation to avoid a conflict of interest” in the Mariam-Webster dictionary. So, he will not be able to participate in any investigations dealing with the Trump campaign. This is a good choice because he cannot be unbiased, considering he was a part of the campaign and is now facing scrutiny due to his actions while working for the campaign.

However, Sessions’ decision to recuse himself does not solve all the problems. It does not erase the fact that as an attorney general he twisted the truth about his activities. Another problem faced is the fact that if the justice department decides to investigate the matter, which they should, Sessions cannot participate. This places the responsibility on the deputy attorney general. Right now, Dana Boente is acting as the deputy Attorney General. Trump’s pick for the position is Rod Rosenstein. Depending on when the justice department decides to investigate, this could pose a problem as the position changes hands.

This situation is far from ideal. Although the fact Sessions recused himself is commendable, he should not have been speaking to the Russian ambassador in the first place. This is a situation that needs to be investigated, as it is not the first time there has been controversy surrounding Russia and the current administration. A democratic society depends upon calling the government out on issues and investigating them thoroughly.