Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions said Tuesday it was possible he met the Russian ambassador at a reception in April 2016 but said he did not re…
Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions said Tuesday it was possible he met the Russian ambassador at a reception in April 2016 but said he did not recall any conversation between them and he denied any wrongdoing.
« I did not have any private meetings nor do I recall any private conversations with any Russian officials at the Mayflower Hotel, » Sessions told the Senate Intelligence Committee.
The FBI has been investigating whether Sessions had an undisclosed meeting with the Russian envoy at the hotel. Sessions said he was there for a Trump campaign speech, which drew several foreign ambassadors.
Sessions forcefully denied having any improper discussions with Russian officials about the 2016 presidential election, calling such suggestions « an appalling and detestable lie. »
He added, « I have never met with or had any conversation with any Russian or any foreign officials concerning any interference in any campaign or any election., » he said.
In closed-door testimony after a hearing before the same committee last week, former FBI Director James Comey said the FBI had been looking into the intelligence that Sessions may have met with Russian Ambassaor Sergey Kisylak at the Mayflower event.
Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said on MSNBC on Monday that evidence of that encounter comes in part from an intercepted conversation “between Kislyak and his people.”
Kislyak may have been exaggerating the contact, Franken said.
Sessions acknowledged having two other subsequent meetings with Kislyak, one in his Senate office and another at a speech at the Republican convention in July.
Sessions recused himself on March 2 from the FBI’s investigations of Russian meddling in the election and any improper ties between some of Trump’s campaign or White House aides and Russian authorities.
