Attorney General Jeff Sessions has agreed to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee as it investigates alleged Russian meddling in the presidential election. 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.
Comey's testimony raised lingering questions surrounding Sessions' recusal from the FBI's Russian Federation probe.
It was a sign of escalating fallout from testimony from Comey last week of undue pressure from Trump, which drew an angry response from the president on Friday that Comey was lying.
"In light of reports regarding Mr Comey's recent testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, it is important that I have an opportunity to address these matters", Sessions said in a letter announcing the change.
FILE - In this March 6, 2017, file photo, Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in Washington.
Sessions recused himself in March from a federal investigation into contacts between Russia and the presidential campaign of Donald Trump after acknowledging that he had met twice previous year with the Russian ambassador to the United States.
"The Senate intelligence committee is the most appropriate forum for such matters, as it has been conducting an investigation and has access to relevant, classified information", he added. But on Saturday, after senators made clear they would zero in on Sessions's connections to Russia, Sessions shifted his plan, opting to address the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Comey branded the President a liar and said he believed he was sacked over his handling of the Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into Russian election meddling, allegations that Trump denied on Friday. He had told lawmakers at his January confirmation hearing that he had not met with Russians during the campaign. "My impression was, something big is about to happen", Comey said, as he recalled the encounter.
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Comey has testified that he thought it was improper for his then-boss Sessions to have been excluded from that meeting, and he has said that he did not want to be alone with the president again to avoid the appearance of undue influence.
In March, Mr. Sessions removed himself from any probe into alleged Russian meddling in the elections, but maintained he did nothing wrong by failing to disclose that he met a year ago with Russia's ambassador.
The Senate Appropriations Committee had called in the attorney general to testify about budget issues.
The following day, Sessions recused himself from the Russian Federation probe.
The attorney general cited his involvement in Trump's campaign for stepping away from the Russian Federation investigation in March.
CNN later reported that congressional investigators have been probing whether Sessions had a possible third, undisclosed meeting with Kislyak.
"I urge that the committee hold a public hearing with the Attorney General in the open so that the American public can hear for themselves what he has to say with regard to connections to the Russians and the President's abuse of power", Wyden wrote.
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