Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, on Thursday called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from any investigation involving allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election after news that Sessions had met privately with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. on two occasions during the campaign.
"AG Sessions should clarify his testimony and recuse himself," Chaffetz tweeted Thursday morning.
Sessions testified during his confirmation hearing that he did not have any contact with the Russians prior to President Trump's victory in the 2016 election. Democrats and a handful of Republicans say they worry the former Alabama senator misled his colleagues about his pre-election contact with the Russian ambassador.
A spokeswoman for Sessions has said the meeting with the ambassador was a routine appointment made as part of Sessions' duties on the Armed Services Committee.
Democrats have pounced on the news by saying Sessions should resign, but the emerging GOP position is that he should recuse himself. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., also said recusal is appropriate, and Sessions himself has said he will recuse himself from investigations whenever doing so is "appropriate."
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07.01.2025