Washington, D.C. (CNN Newsource) — Some Democrats are calling for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to step down after news broke last night that he had two undisclosed meetings with the Russian ambassador during the election campaign.
A.G. Sessions met twice with the Russian ambassador during last year’s election–the problem? Not the meetings, but what he told lawmakers during his confirmation hearings in January.
On January 1, 2017, Sessions said, I have been called a surrogate a time or two in that campaign and I didn’t have communications with the Russians.”
Democrats say that statement conflicts with reality, some are calling for a resignation–others, a special prosecutor.
Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) said, “If the administration has nothing to hide, they won’t object.”
The attorney general is trying to make it clear, he met with the Russian ambassador as a “senator” not as a Trump surrogate.
A.G. Sessions said, “I have not met with any Russians at any time about any political campaign, and those remarks are unbelievable to me and are false.”
Meanwhile, Al Franken, the senator questioning sessions at his confirmation hearing says sessions should recuse himself from any investigations into Russia. “At the very least this was extremely misleading. He needs to explain himself here and for him to get on his high horse and say I don’t know what all this is about, I just asked a question.”
President Trump has yet to weigh in, but the White House is coming to Sessions’ defense calling the issue “partisan.”
But at least two republicans, including House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, are calling on Sessions to act. He said, “I think the attorney general should further clarify his testimony. And I do think he should recuse himself.”
Meanwhile, in Russia, a Kremlin spokesperson called the story a quote “attempt at total misinformation.”
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