Sessions Met With Russian Ambassador But Didn’t Mislead Senate: Spokeswoman

Mar 1 2017, 11:28 pm ET
by Hallie Jackson and Alex Johnson

Attorney General Jeff Sessions did not mislead the Senate Judiciary Committee when he testified that he had not met with the Russian ambassador to the United States last year, even though he had, his spokeswoman told NBC News on Wednesday night.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Sessions spoke twice with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak last year, once during a private meeting in Sessions' office in September. Sessions, a Republican from Alabama, was then a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minnesota, asked Sessions at his Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing Jan. 10: "If there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do?"

Sessions replied: "I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign, and I did not have communications with the Russians, and I'm unable to comment on it."

Sessions' spokeswoman, Sarah Isgur Flores, told NBC News that Sessions did have a conversation with Kislyak last year but that "there was absolutely nothing misleading about his answer" at the hearing.

Sessions met with more than two dozen foreign ambassadors last year in his capacity as a member of the Armed Services Committee, Flores said.

As for what Sessions told the Judiciary Committee, "he was asked during the hearing about communications between Russia and the Trump campaign — not about meetings he took as a senator and a member of the Armed Services Committee," she said.

Sessions was the first sitting senator to endorse Donald Trump, exactly one year ago, when he campaigned with Trump in Madison, Alabama.
Image: Jeff Sessions
Jeff Sessions testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing to be attorney general on Jan. 10. Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned last month after it was disclosed that Flynn misled Vice President Mike Pence and other senior officials about his communications with Kislyak. As attorney general, Sessions oversees the FBI, which is investigating alleged connections between Russia and Trump's campaign.

Democrats have called for an independent investigation, and on Wednesday night, they raced to call for Sessions to resign or at least to recuse himself from the official investigation.

"Sessions is not fit to serve as the top law enforcement officer of our country and must resign," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California said.

"There must be an independent, bipartisan, outside commission to investigate the Trump political, personal and financial connections to the Russians," Pelosi said.

Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, also said Sessions "should resign immediately, and there is no longer any question that we need a truly independent commission to investigate this issue.

Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said: "It is essential that he recuse himself from any role in the investigation.

"This is not even a close call; it is a must," he said.

Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, tweeted: "If it turns out Sessions lied under oath, he of course will be [subject] to criminal prosecution & [should] immediately resign."

An official familiar with Sessions' interactions provided NBC News with a list of what was described as all of the then-senator's known visits with foreign ambassadors last year. The list includes the Sept. 8 meeting with Kislyak.

The official told NBC News that Sessions came in contact with Kislyak a second time at a public event organized in July by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative policy group, where he spoke informally with a small group of ambassadors, including Kislyak.

The official said Sessions often met with ambassadors, discussing bilateral relations and issues, both positive or negative. Ambassadors would often make "superficial comments" about election-related news, the official said. But it was not the substance of their discussions, the official said.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...swoman-n727966