Attorney General Sessions to testify in an open hearing before Senate Intelligence Committee

Attorney General Jeff Sessions

Attorney General Sessions to testify in an open hearing before Senate Intelligence Committee
American Bar Association (ABA)
By Debra Cassens Weiss
Posted Jun 12, 2017 10:40 am CDT

Attorney General Jeff Sessions will testify in an open hearing when he goes before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday afternoon.

Sessions is expected to field questions about his contacts with Russian officials last year and his recusal into any investigation into the presidential campaign, report the Washington Post, the Washington Times, the Hill and Politico. He may also be asked whether he was involved in the decision to fire FBI director James Comey.

Sessions recused himself in March following revelations that he met twice last year with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, but didn’t disclose the meetings during his confirmation hearing.

Comey referenced the recusal in his own Senate Intelligence Committee testimony last Thursday.

"We were aware of facts I can’t discuss in an open setting that would make his continued involvement in a Russia investigation problematic," Comey said.

Comey also said it was a "reasonable question" whether Sessions was involved in Trump’s decision to fire him on May 9.

Sessions announced he wanted to testify in public in a statement released on Monday.

"The attorney general has requested that this hearing be public. He believes it is important for the American people to hear the truth directly from him and looks forward to answering the committee’s questions tomorrow." Read online