Sessions has been under increasing political pressure to recuse himself from DOJ probes into contacts between the Trump presidential campaign and Russian officials
Last Updated Mar 2, 2017 4:25 PM EST
Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations involving the Trump campaign, he announced at a Thursday afternoon press conference after consulting with Justice Department lawyers about his role in investigations into Russian contacts by Trump campaign associates.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks at the Justice Department in Washington, Thursday, March 2, 2017.
His feeling, he said, was that he did not feel like he should investigate a campaign he had a role in.
He defended himself against claims that he provided “incorrect and false” information about his contact with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, noting that he was “taken aback” by the line of questioning and in retrospect should have “slowed down” and answered more carefully.
Some members of Congress want Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from investigating possible Trump campaign ties to Russia, and sev…
He recalled a few details from the meeting with Kislyak — mainly that their conversation over Ukraine had grown testy — Kislyak maintained that Russia had done nothing wrong.
The acting deputy attorney general is Dana Boente, who was formerly the acting attorney general after Sally Yates was forced to resign over her comments about the president’s travel ban. This case, however, will likely be handled by Rod Rosenstein, once he’s confirmed as the new deputy attorney general.
Here’s our live blog of Sessions’ news conference:
“With retrospect, I should have slowed down and said I did meet with one Russian official and that was the Russian ambassador,” he said.
“They don’t know the rules, the ethics rules, most people don’t,” Sessions said of the White House. “But when you evaluate the rules I feel like I am — I should not get involved investigating a campaign I had a role in.”
“I don’t recall any specific political discussions,” Sessions said, though he added that ambassadors “are pretty gossipy.”
“I have recused myself in the matters that deal with the Trump campaign,” he said, clarifying that this meant he would recuse himself from “any existing or future investigations” involving or relating to the Trump campaign.
“My reply to the question of Sen. Franken was honest and correct as I understood it at the time,” he said.
