Attorney General Jeff Sessions heatedly denied on Tuesday having an undisclosed meeting with Russia's ambassador to the USA and declared it was a "detestable and appalling lie" to suggest he was aware of or took part in any collusion between Russian Federation and the election campaign that sent Donald Trump to the White House. And he can expect questions about his involvement in Comey's May 9 firing, the circumstances surrounding his decision to recuse himself from the FBI's investigation, and whether any of his actions - such as interviewing candidates for the FBI director position or meeting with Trump about Comey - violated his recusal pledge. "Sessions actually offered to resign, even though his friends say he doesn't want to leave, but Trump has refused to accept that resignation". Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will attend that hearing in his place, and Sessions will go before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Sessions was originally scheduled to defend the Justice Department's fiscal 2018 budget request to House and Senate appropriators this week, but told the committees in a letter late Friday that he would instead meet with Senate Intelligence.
That remark came after revelations emerged that Sessions had met with Russia's ambassador to the USA last year, despite testifying under oath during a confirmation hearing that he "did not have communications with the Russians".
In the first lawsuit of its kind brought by the government, the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia are suing President Trump for violation of anti-corruption clauses in the U.S. Constitution.
It will be the first sworn public testimony from Sessions, a longtime former senator, since he was nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed as the nation's top law enforcement officer in February.
Were there any additional meetings Sessions did not disclose?
Senators want to get Sessions' take on all this. Sens. Al Franken of Minnesota and Patrick Leahy of Vermont have sought an FBI investigation. That was not so, he said.
Sessions recused himself from the Russian Federation investigation weeks later.
The nation's top legal officer is set to go before Congress on Tuesday to try to defuse a bomb that the former Federal Bureau of Investigation director dropped into his lap.
There are serious questions Sessions should be asked, Schumer continued. You, the attorney general, have to be between the president and me. "This is a secret innuendo being leaked out there about me, and I don't appreciate it". In addition to his testimony, the fate of special counsel Robert Mueller is also in the air. "I have confidence in Mr. Mueller", he said.
Comey's testimony put a bright spotlight on a fateful Valentine's Day meeting in the Oval Office, in which Trump reportedly asked Sessions and other cabinet members to clear the room before leaning on Comey to drop the investigation into Michael Flynn, his national security adviser who resigned after just a few weeks on the job.
Allen County prosecutor files murder charge against Amber Pasztor
Pasztor told police she killed Macomber to "send a message to the "cartels" not to mess with her", according to court documents. Their bodies were found in Pasztor's auto after she approached Elkhart police saying he had "two dead people" in her vehicle.
The president sacked Comey in early May. How could an attorney general who said he would take himself out of the Russian Federation investigation play a role in firing the officer who was leading it?
Sessions criticized Comey's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation, which the White House had initially cited as the ostensible reason for his firing.
Senate Democrats have raised the possibility that Sessions and Kislyak could have met there, though Justice Department officials say there were no private encounters or side meetings.
Comey said Trump told Sessions and other administration officials to leave the room before Trump asked him in February to drop a probe into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's contacts with Russian Federation. "I'm not sure what was in his mind specifically".
But Sessions, who recommended in a signed memo that Comey be fired, may end up claiming executive privilege as a means of limiting the breadth of his testimony.
Why did you recuse yourself from the Russian Federation investigation?
On another hot-button issue, Sen. The president said Comey was sacked because of Russian Federation.
"I believe the James Comey leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone ever thought possible", Trump tweeted over the weekend.
"I think what needs to happen tomorrow is the panel needs to very carefully craft their questions so that they can illicit responses which would be outside of the privilege".
Comments