New scandal erupts
Attorney general recuses himself from investigation into Russian meddling
WASHINGTON — Under growing pressure from Democrats and Republicans alike, Attorney General Jeff Sessions agreed Thursday to recuse himself from an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. His action followed revelations he twice met with a Russian ambassador and didn’t say so when pressed by Congress.
Sessions rejected any suggestion that he tried to mislead anyone about his contacts with the Russian, saying, “That is not my intent. That is not correct.”
The attorney general said he made his decision after his staff recommended that he recuse himself from any investigation related to U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign, since he had been involved in that campaign.
Sessions added that his announcement“should not be interpreted as confirmation of the existence of any investigation.”
The White House has stood behind Sessions, though officials said they first learned about his contacts with the ambassador from a reporter Wednesday night. Trump said he had “total” confidence in him and didn’t think he needed to step aside from the investigation.
The Justice Department has maintained there was nothing improper about Sessions’ contacts or his answers to Congress, while the continuing allegations of Russian interference in American politics spurred Democratic calls for Sessions not only to recuse himself but to resign.
Sessions has faced increasing demands that he resolve the seeming contradiction between his two conversations in the summer and fall with Moscow’s U.S. envoy, Sergey Kislyak, and his sworn statements to Congress in January, when he said he had not had communications with Russians during the campaign.
Calling for Sessions to resign, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi accused him of “lying under oath.” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said a special prosecutor should be appointed to examine whether the federal investigation into the Kremlin’s meddling in the U.S. election — and into possible contacts between Trump associates and Russia — had been compromised by Sessions. Democrats also sought a criminal perjury investigation.
“If there was nothing wrong, why don’t you just tell the truth?” Schumer said. Sessions’ testimony “was definitely extremely misleading to say the least.”
And more than a half dozen Republican lawmakers urged him to recuse himself from the Justice Department probe. They include Sen. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, who said that though he found it impossible to believe that Sessions could have colluded with Russia, “If there is an investigation, he probably shouldn’t be the person leading it.”
Trump has been trailed for months by questions about potential ties to Russia. He has vigorously denied being aware of any contacts his associates had with Russia during the campaign and has also insisted he has no financial ties to Russia.
The Justice Department acknowledged two separate Sessions interactions with Kislyak, both after cybersecurity firms had concluded that Russian intelligence agencies were behind the hacking of the Democratic National Committee.
The first occurred after an event during the Republican National Convention in July, when the department says a group of envoys — including the Russian ambassador — approached Sessions. The second was in September, which the department likened to the more than 25 conversations Sessions had with foreign ambassadors last year as a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.