Neverland up for sale at cut price
SANTA BARBARA: The late pop star Michael Jackson’s former Neverland Ranch is back on the market with an asking price of £54.5 million. The 2,700-acre property near Santa Barbara, California, has been renamed Sycamore Valley Ranch. The listed price represents a significant cut from the £81.4m it was on the market for last year. Features include a “Disney-style” train station and a dance studio. ATTORNEY General Jeff Sessions is to step aside from an inquiry into alleged Russian interference in the US election, he said last night.
He talked twice with Russia’s ambassador to the United States during the presidential campaign season which sparked calls in Congress for him to excuse himself from the justice department investigation.
Mr Sessions, an early supporter of President Donald Trump and a policy adviser to the Republican candidate, did not disclose those discussions at his confirmation hearing in January when asked what he would do if “anyone affiliated” with the campaign had been in contact with officials of the Russian government.
Mr Sessions replied that he had not had communication with the Russians.
But last night at a press conference he admitted that there had been brief meetings and then recused himself from the investigation, meaning he will not see any official Justice Department papers into the case.
Calls for his recusal have mounted after revelations that he met Russia’s envoy during the election, apparently contradicting his earlier statements.
During the Senate hearing on 10 January, Mr Sessions was asked: “If there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government, in the course of this campaign, what will you do?”
Mr Sessions responded: “I’m not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I did not have communications with the Russians. And I’m unable to comment on it.”
Last night in a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington DC, he said his comments at his confirmation hearing were “honest and correct as I understood it at the time” amid growing calls for his removal.
But he added: “I have decided to recuse myself from any existing or future investigations of any matters related in any way to the campaigns for President of the United States.
“I appreciate that some take the view that this was a false comment. That is not my intent. That is not correct.”
Democrats have been seeking his recusal from the federal investigation, claiming there are serious doubts about whether he could properly oversee the probe. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi had accused Mr Sessions of “lying under oath” and demanded that he resign. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, said: “I just think he needs to clarify what these meetings were.”
Mr Sessions had more than 25 conversations with foreign ambassadors last year in his role as a US senator and senior member of the Armed Services Committee, and had two separate interactions with Mr Kislyak, the department confirmed.
One was a visit in September in his capacity as a senator, similar to meetings with envoys from Britain, China, Germany and other nations, the department said.
The other occurred in a group setting following a Heritage Foundation speech Mr Sessions gave during the summer when he saw several ambassadors, including Russia’s.