Sessions denies existence of Russian hacking intel reports he never read

"This is a secret innuendo being leaked out there about me, and I don't appreciate it", Sessions said, raising his voice.

Last week, Comey appeared before the same committee and shared that he and members of the FBI leadership team did not discuss President Donald Trump's alleged request for the FBI director's loyalty as the group believed Sessions would inevitably recuse himself from the Russian Federation investigation.

His staffers have since acknowledged that he met twice with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak.

"Declining to answer questions at a congressional hearing about confidential conversations with the President is long-standing executive-branch-wide practice", the official said.

The official fired back at lawmakers over claims that he colluded with Russian officials during the 2016 election, calling it an "appalling and detestable lie".

Sessions said he was not "briefed on any investigative details" between getting sworn in on February 9 and recusing himself on March 2 and does not believe he was ever briefed on the Russian measures to influence the election. "I have confidence in Mr. Mueller", he said. Sessions said: "It did not violate my recusal". He also said he hasn't spoken to special counsel Robert Mueller about the Russian investigation.

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.

SESSIONS: I believe they are.

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of OR asked Sessions about suggestions arising from Comey's testimony last week that there was something "problematic" about his recusal.

James Comey and Jeff Sessions.

But Mr Sessions said that despite his sense of problems at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he never raised that with Mr Comey. The questioning was so straining, empty, and cheap I expected one of the Democrats to ask Sessions: Have you ever, while flipping cable channels at home or at the office, stopped on Russia Television? Sessions said of that moment: "He was concerned about it, and his recollection of what he said to me about this concern is consistent with my recollection".

Comey testified last week that the president asked him to drop an investigation into his former national security advisor, Michael Flynn.

He said he recused himself from the Justice Department's Russian Federation investigation only because of a regulation to require the step because of his involvement in the Trump campaign. His failure to disclose meetings with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak forced him to later amend his testimony and added fuel to the Russia intrigue swirling around Washington.

Sessions replied, "I am not stonewalling".

USA intelligence agencies concluded in a report released in January that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an effort to interfere in the election to help Trump in part by hacking and releasing damaging emails about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. He said that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had first discussed dismissing Comey before either of them had even taken their posts.

Later, Comey said he was so uncomfortable that he went to Sessions to "implore" him "to prevent any future direct communication between the President and me". I think it's a reasonable question.

Later however, Sessions appeared to raise the prospect that the meeting may have occurred and he had simply forgotten it. "It is my judgment that it would be inappropriate for me to answer and reveal private conversations with the president when he is [sic] not had a full opportunity to review the questions and to make a decision on whether or not to approve such an answer".