Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from leading the investigation into Russian influence on the Presidential election yesterday. The move comes in response to a Washington Post report that Sessions twice had contact with the Russian ambassador “at the height of what U.S. intelligence officials say was a Russian cyber campaign to upend the U.S. presidential race.” Complicating the issue for Sessions is his an exchange that occurred during his confirmation hearing where he denied any contact with Russia at all.
But, was Jeff Sessions’ recusal enough to satisfy the electorate, or is further action necessary? Researchers at Unanimous A.I. turned to a Swarm A.I. composed of Americans of voting age to ponder the same issues that our politicians are currently facing. They wanted to know if calls for Sessions to resign are reasonable or unfounded, and what appropriate next steps would be for the Attorney General and the President who appointed him. Sessions has dominated the news cycle in recent days, and the voters who made up the Swarm were very familiar with the issues at play.
The immediate question at hand is who should lead the investigation into Russian influence, the Department of Justice, which Session otherwise heads up ), or whether it should be handed off to an impartial special prosecutor.
Perhaps even more important is the question of Jeff Sessions role as the Attorney General. Sessions was a controversial pick even before his contact with Russia was revealed, so the Washington Post’s report only added fuel to the fire for those like Elizabeth Warren and Nancy Pelosi who would seek to have him resign.
As you can see, not only does the Swarm A.I. agree with those calling for Sessions’ resignation, it did so with a high confidence, which suggests real conviction on the question. Researchers then asked the swarm to consider whether or not Sessions had perjured himself in his confirmation hearing, and again the group revealed a surprisingly strong sentiment.
The controversy around Donald Trump’s Attorney General comes at a particularly bad time for the new President, who was riding a wave of good publicity after Tuesday’s Congressional Address. Trump’s speech was widely praised on both sides of the aisle, with Katy Tur of NBC, writing “What the President did w Owen’s widow was capital P Presidential. It was the single most extraordinary moment I’ve seen from Trump – by far” and Ann Coulter telling Fox News it was “the best speech I’ve ever witnessed from Washington.”
During that speech on Tuesday night, Unanimous A.I. hosted two swarms, one composed of Trump supporters ( UNU Red under the Make America Great Again!” rallying cry ) and the other made up of Democrats and detractors ( UNU Blue, whose motto was “vive le resistance!”). Throughout the night, both swarms were asked identical questions, and their answers revealed the very disparate responses you might anticipate. And yet, when asked to rate Trump’s speech as he wound down his remarks, the UNU Blue room rated the speech 3 Stars, revealing a perhaps begrudging respect for the President’s attempt to deliver a message of “unity and strength.”
Of course, the UNU Red swarm rated the speech at the full five stars, but the results indicate that, despite the constant headlines about a nation divided, we might not be nearly as far apart it might seem.
Got a question for UNU, or just want to keep up to date with the Swarm’s insights? Drop us a line…
