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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 2 June 2017
Senate to hear from Comey; Dems raise new Sessions questions

By ERIC TUCKER firmation hearing that he
DEB RIECHMANN hadn’t had any contacts
Associated Press with Russia.
WASHINGTON (AP) — “If it is determined that the
James Comey, fired last attorney general still has
month as FBI director amid not been truthful with Con-
a federal investigation into gress and the American
connections between Rus- people about his contacts
sia and the Trump cam- with Russian officials during
paign, is set to testify next the campaign, he needs to
Thursday at a highly antici- resign,” the senators wrote.
pated congressional hear- In addition to the two
ing that could shed light on meetings that Sessions has
his private conversations acknowledged, the sena-
with the president in the tors pointed to the possibil-
weeks before his dismissal. ity of a separate encoun-
The Senate intelligence ter at an April 2016 Trump
committee announced campaign event that Ses-
Comey’s appearance, sions and Kislyak attended.
and a Comey associate The Justice Department
said he had been cleared has acknowledged that
to testify by Robert Mueller, Sessions was at the May-
another former FBI director flower Hotel event in Wash-
now overseeing that inves- ington, but said there were
tigation as special counsel. no private or side conver-
Also on Thursday, Demo- sations that day.
crats raised more questions
about contacts during In this Wednesday, May 3, 2017, photo, then-FBI Director James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in Comey’s testimony proba-
the campaign between Washington. Comey, ousted last month amid a federal investigation into connections between bly will focus on the private
the Russian ambassador Russia and the Trump campaign, is set to testify before Congress next week in a highly anticipated meetings the former FBI di-
hearing that could shed new light on his private conversations with the president in the weeks
to Washington, Sergey Kis- before the firing. rector had with Trump and
lyak, and President Donald (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) subsequently chronicled
in internal memos and re-
Trump’s attorney general, counted to associates who
former Sen. Jeff Sessions, have divulged their con-
R-Ala. tents to The Associated
Sessions, a close Trump Press and other media out-
adviser, withdrew from lets.
the Russia investigation in Comey’s associates have
March after acknowledg- said Comey told them
ing two previously undis- that Trump asked him at a
closed contacts with Kis- January dinner to pledge
lyak last summer and fall. his loyalty to the presi-
Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., dent and, at an Oval Of-
and Al Franken, D-Minn., fice meeting weeks later,
released a letter urging the asked Comey to consider
FBI to investigate whether ending an FBI investigation
Sessions had falsely testi- into Trump’s first national
fied under oath when he security adviser, Michael
said at his January con- Flynn.q
Officials: US mulls the return of

Russian diplomatic compounds

By MATTHEW LEE relationship and both sides
AP Diplomatic Writer are pushing aggressively
WASHINGTON (AP) — The for their priorities.
United States and Russia For Russia, these include
are holding high-level ne- returning the New York
gotiations that could lead and Maryland compounds
to the return of two Russian seized by the Obama ad-
diplomatic compounds ministration, according to
seized as punishment for Russian officials.
Moscow’s alleged interfer- The U.S. wants Russia to
ence in the U.S. presiden- stop harassing American
tial election, officials said diplomats and civilians in
Thursday. The talks are in- the country, and to resolve
tensifying even as election- a dispute related to the U.S.
related investigations in consulate in St. Petersburg,
Washington show no sign Russia’s second-largest city,
of ending. American officials said.
Washington and Moscow The officials weren’t autho-
are preparing for a sec- rized to discuss the matter
ond-round of talks on re- publicly and spoke on con-
moving “irritants” in their dition of anonymity.q