"I can tell you that with absolute certainty".
There were brief fireworks when another Democrat, Ron Wyden, declared that the letter was a violation of the recusal that "didn't pass the smell test".
Prompted by Senator John McCain, Committee Chair Richard Burr interrupted Harris, telling her to "allow the witness to answer the question".
SHAPIRO: Beyond his explanation for that particular remark, were there things you learned from today's hearing that you think could be important to the investigation?
King told CNN's "New Day" that Sessions didn't answer King's questions on Tuesday about why President Trump made a decision to fire former FBI Director James Comey, and Sessions's other remarks on the Russian Federation investigation revealed the attorney general's disinterest.
Sessions recused himself from Russia probes, after failing to disclose two other meetings with Russians that occurred when he was part of Trump's election effort. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was the latest target in Senate testimony Tuesday, but this one didn't have much in the way of substance.
"Confirmation of such a meeting could prove devastating for Sessions, whose relationship with Trump has already showed signs of strain", says the New York Times. I was responding to this allegation... And he repeatedly gave the same reason for refusing to answer, which was a sort of executive-client privilege.
He said Sessions' account of his conversation with Comey after that meeting seems to back Comey.
But the most definitive statement on the Mueller probe came from Rosenstein, who was on Capitol Hill testifying to a pair of subcommittees on the same day as Sessions. He then proceeded to continue to stonewall some more, denying the elected representatives of the American people knowledge of any conversations he may have had with President Donald J. Trump about an investigation that could implicate the president and his aides in questionable interactions with representatives of a foreign adversary-one that is known to have meddled in the 2016 presidential election. "At this point, I believe it's premature for me to deny the president a full and intelligent choice about executive privilege". Sessions' testimony, he said, is all the more notable because he is "someone on the side of the president".
Bill Cosby case handed to jury
Steele, continuing to address defense statements, said a "romantic interlude" did not exist between Constand and Cosby . This item has been updated to delete an incorrect reference to Constand visiting with Cosby after the encounter.
In a dramatic and packed Senate hearing, Sessions vowed to defend his honor "against scurrilous and false allegations" and declared it 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 Trump to the White House. But under questioning, Sessions acknowledged that Trump's campaign foreign policy advisers "never functioned as a coherent team" and there were members of that group he never met. Trump's actions backfired, causing the deputy attorney-general to appoint a special prosecutor to head up the Russian Federation investigation.
Sessions told the senators he has confidence in Mueller but said he had "no idea" if Trump did because he had not spoken to the president about the matter.
Legal experts said there was some merit to Sessions' argument.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the person who would be responsible for carrying out any such dismissal, told a different congressional panel he would not fire Mueller without good cause and he had seen no such cause.
Mueller is investigating allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 USA presidential election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.
When asked for his reaction to Sessions' excuse-making, Franken could not keep a straight face. Attorney General Sessions earlier had recused himself of the FBI's Russia probe because of his earlier failure during the vetting process in which he answered in the negative about having met with Russian officials during the presidential campaign as a Trump surrogate when in fact he had. Whether he took any steps to ensure that Donald Trump understood never to put himself and the Federal Bureau of Investigation director in such a situation again. And he didn't feel the need to do anything following a meeting the two men had in the days that followed in which Comey expressed his discomfort with these one-on-one conversations with the president.
In response to reports of an undisclosed third meeting with a Russian official at an event at the Mayflower Hotel in April 2016, Sessions said he had "no recollection" of any meeting, passing or private interaction with any Russians.
And while he had recused himself from the Russian Federation probe, Sessions insisted, "I did not recuse myself from defending my honor against scurrilous and false allegations".
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