Pelosi calls on Sessions to quit after paper discloses Russia contacts
WASHINGTON: US House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign on Wednesday after the Washington Post reported he failed to disclose two meetings he had with Russia’s ambassador before Donald Trump was inaugurated as president.
Citing Justice Department officials, the Post said Sessions spoke twice last year with Russia’s ambassador while he was still a US senator.
He failed to disclose the encounters when asked during his confi rmation hearing to become attorney general about possible contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russian officials, the newspaper said.
Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, called for Sessions to resign and for an independent, bipartisan investigation into Trump’s possible ties to Russians.
“Sessions is not fit to serve as the top law enforcement officer of our country and must resign,” she said in a statement.
The Washington Post said one of the meetings was a private conversation between Sessions and Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak that took place in the senator’s office in September.
This came at the height of what US intelligence officials say was a Russian cyber campaign to upend the US presidential race, the Post reported.
Along with Pelosi’s call for Sessions to resign, the Post said the previously undisclosed discussions could fuel new congressional calls for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russia’s alleged role in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump’s fi rst national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was fired last month after he discussed US sanctions on Russia with Kislyak before Trump took office and misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.
As attorney general, Sessions oversees the Justice Department, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which have been leading investigations into Russian meddling and any links to Trump’s associates.
Sessions has so far resisted calls to recuse himself. — Reuters