Attorney General Jeff Sessions has agreed to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee Tuesday over alleged contacts with Russian officials and involvement in President Donald Trump’s dismissal of FBI Director James Comey, The Hill reports.
Comey put Sessions back into the spotlight of the Russia controversy with his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week – the same panel that will interrogate the Attorney General.
Last week the ex-FBI chief said that federal law enforcement had expected Sessions to recuse himself from the investigation into the Trump campaign and Russia, suggesting that he knew more than has been publicly revealed about Sessions’s contacts with Moscow officials.
“The Attorney General has requested that this hearing be public. He believes it is important for the American people to hear the truth directly from him and looks forward to answering the committee’s questions tomorrow”, a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement Monday.
Sessions recusal from the probe into Russian election interference in March reportedly enraged Trump, who wanted his close ally in charge of the matter at Justice. In a public disapproval of Sessions, Trump also called out theJustice Department over its handling of his executive order blocking travelers from several predominantly Muslim nations from entering the United States.
Democrats will be swift to question Sessions on why he was involved in Comey’s firing, which Trump linked to the Russian investigation, given his own recusal from that probe. In its initial explanation of Comey’s firing, the White House said that Trump accepted a recommendation from Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.
Sessions stepped back from the federal investigation in March, two months before Comey’s dismissal, following reports that he had not informed the Congress of two meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. The Justice Department has insisted that Sessions has abided by the scope of his recusal.
Sessions is the highest-ranking official yet to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee in its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
He was scheduled to testify before two House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees this week, but after lawmakers indicated that they planned to use the opportunity to question Sessions on Russia and Comey’s dismissal, he canceled those appearances and said he would testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee instead.
“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 in the appropriate forum. 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”, Sessions wrote to lawmakers on Saturday.
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