"I should not be involved in investigating a campaign I had a role in", Sessions said at the Justice Department on the day he announced his decision. Now Sessions will take the same stage. But he hopes Sessions can be more transparent. Sessions and Kislyak met at least twice previous year.
What did happen at the Mayflower Hotel in 2016 when you were in the same room as Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak? CNN reported in May that Sessions omitted any of these meetings from his SF-86. Is there any request from the President or any other official in the White House that has made you uncomfortable since you were sworn in as attorney general? Feinstein said she was especially concerned after National Intelligence Director Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers refused to answer questions from the intelligence committee about possible undue influence by Trump. And Sessions has sat through enough hearings to know his answers will come back to bite him if there is even an element of untruth. Sessions has called those allegations "false charges", said they were hurtful and has tried to move past them. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., asked Comey a series of questions about Sessions' involvement in the Russian Federation investigation during the two weeks between Trump expressing his "hope" that Comey could let go of the probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Sessions' recusal from inquiries related to the election. Comey declined to elaborate in an open setting. Why would Comey think Sessions was going to recuse himself?
Ahead of Sessions's testimony, the White House sent mixed signals about how open he will be with lawmakers. That possibility could mean a closed hearing, unlike the drama of last Thursday with Comey.
The hearing comes less than a week after Comey's explosive testimony. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., Sessions said that he had been scheduled to discuss the Justice Department budget before House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees but that it had become clear some members would focus their questions on the Russian Federation investigation.
There is no doubt senators on the committee have been preparing for his testimony, but here are the questions to Sessions that will be critical in determining his fate. Of course, this raises the question of whether executive privilege even applies to this situation.
Trump, in saying Friday that he'd speak under oath, specifically rejected Comey's claim that the president sought "loyalty" from him when he was Federal Bureau of Investigation director.
"Everything is being looked at anew, as of late", said Bahar, who now runs the cybersecurity practice for Eversheds Sutherland U.S.in Washington.
Trump mulling firing special counsel on Russia Robert Mueller
He says he is confident that Mueller will have "the full independence he needs" to investigate thoroughly. If there were not good cause it wouldn't matter to me what anybody said".
Of special interest will be Comey's assertion that he told Sessions after the meeting that he never again wanted to be left alone with the president.
Last week, ABC News learned that Sessions suggested he vacate his position given his declining relationship with Trump after his recusal decision, about which Trump was given little notice.
Sessions and Trump have been close allies for more than a year now - Sessions was Trump's earliest supporter in the Senate and his top staff became some of Trump's most important advisers.
That's why the reports last week that Sessions offered to resign over a new, incredible strain between the two, was pretty surprising.
Fellow Republicans pressed President Donald Trump on Sunday to come clean about whether he has tapes of private conversations with former FBI Director James Comey and provide them to Congress if he does - or possibly face a subpoena, as a Senate investigation into collusion with Russian Federation or obstruction of justice extended to a Trump Cabinet member.
"I have a recollection of him just kind of looking at me", Comey testified.
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