Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 14 June 2017

Sessions heatedly denies improper Russia contacts

Continued from Front Justice Department probe
into Russian meddling in
“He didn’t recall this, but I the campaign on March
responded to his comment 2, the day after The Wash-
by agreeing that the FBI ington Post reported on
and Department of Justice two previously undisclosed
needed to be careful to meetings with Russian Am-
follow department policy bassador Sergey Kislyak.
regarding appropriate Days after that, Sessions
contacts with the White also corrected his confir-
House,” Sessions said. mation hearing testimony
The former Alabama sena- to inform the committee
tor also defended himself about his two meetings
against accusations that with Kislyak.
he misrepresented him- Ahead of the hearing there
self during his confirmation had been suggestions that
hearing when he said he Sessions might have had a
hadn’t met with Russian third, unreported, encoun-
officials during the cam- ter with Kislyak in April 2016,
paign. Sessions argued at Washington’s May-
that in the context of that flower Hotel, where candi-
hearing, “my answer was date Trump was giving his
a fair and correct response first major foreign policy
to the charge as I under- speech. Senate Intelligence Committee member Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., right, with Sen. Martin Heinrich,
D-N.M., questions Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June
stood it.” Sessions was adamant that 13, 2017, as he testified before the Committee’s hearing about his role in the firing of FBI Director
The attorney general he did not have a private James Comey and the investigation into contacts between Trump campaign associates and Rus-
stepped aside from the meeting with Kislyak at that sia.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

event. He did allow for the And while he had recused
possibility that he encoun- himself from the Russia
tered him in a reception probe, Sessions insisted,
that he said was attended “I did not recuse myself
by a couple dozen people, from defending my honor
though he said he had no against scurrilous and false
specific recollection of allegations.”
that. Democratic senators Democratic Sen. Ron
have seized on the possibili- Wyden of Oregon aggres-
ty of a third meeting to sug- sively asked Sessions about
gest that Sessions has not suggestions arising from
been forthcoming about Comey’s testimony last
the extent of his commu- week that there was some-
nications with the ambas- thing “problematic” about
sador. Sens. Al Franken of his recusal.
Minnesota and Patrick Lea- Wyden asked Sessions what
hy of Vermont have sought problematic issues existed.
an FBI investigation. “Why don’t you tell me?
Sessions testified Tuesday There are none, Sen.
that he recused himself Wyden, there are none,”
from the current Russia in- Sessions insisted, his voice
vestigation only because of rising. “This is a secret in-
a regulation that required it nuendo being leaked out
because of his involvement there about me, and I
in the Trump campaign. don’t appreciate it.”
“Many have suggested Sessions lent his support to
that my recusal is because the special counsel, Rob-
I felt I was a subject of the ert Mueller, who is now in
investigation myself, that I charge of the Trump cam-
may have done something paign-Russia investigation.
wrong,” Sessions added. “I have confidence in Mr.
That was not so, he said. Mueller,” he said.q