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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 3 March 2017

Sessions steps aside from Russia-contact investigation

Continued from front of “lying under oath.” Sen-
ate Democratic leader
The White House has stood Chuck Schumer said a
behind Sessions, though of- special prosecutor should
ficials say they first learned be appointed to examine
about his contacts with whether the federal inves-
the ambassador from a re- tigation into the Kremlin’s
porter Wednesday night. meddling in the U.S. elec-
Trump said he had “total” tion — and into possible
confidence in Sessions and contacts between Trump
didn’t think he needed to associates and Russians —
step aside from the investi- had been compromised
gation. by Sessions. Democrats
The Justice Department also sought a criminal per-
has maintained there was jury investigation.
nothing improper about And more than a half doz-
Sessions’ contacts or his en Republican lawmakers,
answers to Congress, while including some who con-
the continuing allegations sider themselves personally
of Russian interference in close to Sessions, urged
American politics spurred him to recuse himself from
Democratic calls for Ses- the Justice Department
sions not only to recuse probe. They include Sen.
himself but to resign. Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Tom Cole of Oklahoma,
Sessions has faced in- Washington, Thursday, March 2, 2017. Sessions said he will recuse himself from a federal investiga- who said that though he
tion into Russian interference in the 2016 White House election.
creasing demands that (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) found it impossible to be-
lieve that Sessions could
he resolve the seeming have colluded with Russia,
contradiction between his “If there is an investigation,
two conversations in the he probably shouldn’t be
summer and fall with Mos- the person leading it.”
cow’s U.S. envoy, Sergey The news comes on the
Kislyak, and his sworn state- heels of what had been
ments to Congress in Janu- the high point of Trump’s
ary, when he said he had young presidency: a well-
not had communications received address to Con-
with Russians during the gress Tuesday night that
campaign. energized Republicans
While there is nothing nec- and appeared to wipe
essarily nefarious or even away some lawmakers’
unusual about a member concerns about the admin-
of Congress meeting with istration’s tumultuous start.
a foreign ambassador, Trump has been trailed for
typically members of the months by questions about
Senate Foreign Relations potential ties to Russia. He’s
Committee meet with for- vigorously denied being
eign ambassadors, not aware of any contacts his
Armed Services Commit- associates had with Russia
tee lawmakers, whose re- during the campaign and
sponsibility is oversight of has also insisted he has no
the military and the Pen- financial ties to Russia.
tagon. Congressional con- The Justice Department
tact with Russian officials acknowledged two sepa-
was limited after the inva- rate Sessions interactions
sion of Crimea and due to with Kislyak, both after cy-
Moscow’s close relation- bersecurity firms had con-
ship with Syria, a pariah for cluded that Russian intel-
much of the West ligence agencies were
Calling for Sessions to re- behind cyber-hacking of
sign, House Minority Leader the Democratic National
Nancy Pelosi accused him Committee.q