US Attorney General Jeff Sessions To Step Aside From Russia Investigation

WASHINGTON, 03 March. - (ANA) - US Attorney General Jeff Sessions will step aside from the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Sessions “recused” himself from any Justice Department investigations as he bowed to mounting pressure over newly reported meetings with the Russian ambassador.

“I have now decided to recuse myself from any existing or future investigations of any matter relating in any way to the campaign for president of the United States,” Sessions said at a press conference.

“This announcement should not be interpreted as confirmation of the existence of any investigation or suggestive of the scope of any such investigation, because we in the Department of Justice resist confirming or denying the very existence of investigations.

“So in the end, I have followed the right procedure just as I promised the committee I would, and just as I believe any good attorney general should do.”

On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported that Sessions met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak two times last year.

Since then, the Attorney General has faced growing demands from Congress to step aside from the investigations.

Sessions previously told the Senate Judiciary Committee under oath that he had not had any “communications with the Russians” during the presidential campaign.

When asked Thursday about his September 8 meeting with the Russian ambassador, Sessions said the two talked about “normal things,” noting terrorism and Ukraine came up in conversation.

“I don’t recall any specific political discussion,” Sessions said. He added that he turned down an invitation for a longer lunch with Kislyak. “Ambassadors are always out there trying to find out things,” he said of diplomats in general.

Trump said on Thursday that he did not think Sessions should recuse himself from investigations and that he had “total” confidence in his attorney general. But Trump also admitted that he only learned of the meetings between Sessions and Kislyak on Wednesday night, from The Washington Post. - (ANA) -

AB/ANA/ 03 March 2017 - - -