Sessions denies improper Russia contacts

senate hearing

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Attorney General Jeff Sessions heatedly denied on Tuesday having an undisclosed meeting with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. and declared it was a “detestable and appalling lie” to suggest he was aware of or took part in any collusion between Russia and the election campaign that sent Donald Trump to the White House.

Testifying at a packed Senate hearing, Sessions, who was a close Trump adviser during the battle for the presidency, also rejected any idea of misconduct in the ouster of FBI Director James Comey and vowed to defend his honor “against scurrilous and false allegations.”

In his dramatic appearance before former colleagues, Sessions contradicted a contention made by Comey at a hearing before the same panel last week. Comey told the intelligence committee that, after an encounter with President Trump in which he said Trump pressured him to back off an investigation into the former national security adviser, Comey “implored” Sessions to make sure he was never left alone with the president again – but that Sessions didn’t respond.

“He didn’t recall this, but I responded to his comment by agreeing that the FBI and Department of Justice needed to be careful to follow department policy regarding appropriate contacts with the White House,” Sessions said.

The former Alabama senator also defended himself against accusations that he misrepresented himself during his confirmation hearing when he said he hadn’t met with Russian officials during the campaign.

Sessions argued that in the context of that hearing, “my answer was a fair and correct response to the charge as I understood it.”

The attorney general stepped aside from the Justice Department probe into Russian meddling in the campaign on March 2, the day after The Washington Post reported on two previously undisclosed meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Days after that, Sessions also corrected his confirmation hearing testimony to inform the committee about his two meetings with Kislyak.

Ahead of the hearing there had been suggestions that Sessions might have had a third, unreported, encounter with Kislyak in April 2016, at Washington’s Mayflower Hotel, where candidate Trump was giving his first major foreign policy speech.

Sessions was adamant that he did not have a private meeting with Kislyak at that event. He did allow for the possibility that he encountered him in a reception that he said was attended by a couple dozen people, though he said he had no specific recollection of that.

Democratic senators have seized on the possibility of a third meeting to suggest that Sessions has not been forthcoming about the extent of his communications with the ambassador. Sens. Al Franken of Minnesota and Patrick Leahy of Vermont have sought an FBI investigation.

Sessions testified Tuesday that he recused himself from the current Russia investigation only because of a regulation that required it because of his involvement in the Trump campaign.

“Many have suggested that my recusal is because I felt I was a subject of the investigation myself, that I may have done something wrong,” Sessions added. That was not so, he said.

And while he had recused himself from the Russia probe, Sessions insisted, “I did not recuse myself from defending my honor against scurrilous and false allegations.” Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon aggressively asked Sessions about suggestions arising from Comey’s testimony last week that there was something “problematic” about his recusal. Wyden asked Sessions what problematic issues existed.

“Why don’t you tell me? There are none, Sen. Wyden, there are none,” Sessions insisted, his voice rising.

“This is a secret innuendo being leaked out there about me, and I don’t appreciate it.”

Sessions lent his support to the special counsel, Robert Mueller, who is now in charge of the Trump campaign-Russia investigation. “I have confidence in Mr. Mueller,” he said.