Posted June 11, 2017 10:03:02

Photo: Jeff Sessions has been dogged by questions about encounters with Russians during the election campaign. (Reuters: Yuri Gripas)

US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions, whose contacts with Russia's ambassador to America during the presidential campaign have sparked questions, has agreed to appear before the Senate intelligence committee as it investigates alleged Russian meddling in the election.

Mr Sessions recused himself in March from a federal investigation into contacts between Russia and the presidential campaign of Donald Trump after acknowledging he had met twice last year with the Russian ambassador to the US.

He had told lawmakers at his January confirmation hearing he had not met with Russians during the campaign.

Mr Sessions has been dogged by questions about possible additional encounters with the ambassador, Sergey Kislyak.

Senate Democrats have raised questions about whether the men met at an April 2016 foreign policy event at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington.

The Justice Department has said that while Mr Sessions was there for a speech by Mr Trump, there were no meetings or private encounters.

Sessions wants opportunity to address Comey's claims

Former FBI director James Comey raised additional questions at a hearing on Thursday, saying the FBI expected Mr Sessions to recuse himself weeks before he actually did.

Mr Comey declined to elaborate in an open setting.

In a letter on Saturday to Senator Richard Shelby, Mr Sessions said he had been scheduled to discuss the Justice Department budget before House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees but that it had become clear some members would focus their questions on the Russia investigation.

James Comey's conclusions and observations are based on instinct and an ingrained sense of protocol gained during a long career as a public servant, Washington correspondent Zoe Daniel writes.

Mr Shelby chairs the Senate appropriations subcommittee.

Mr Sessions said his decision to accept the intelligence committee's invitation to appear was due in part to Mr Comey's testimony.

He wrote that "it is important that I have an opportunity to address these matters in the appropriate forum".

He said Deputy Attorney-General Rod Rosenstein would appear before the subcommittees.

Briefing congressional appropriators on the Justice Department's budget is a critical part of the attorney-general's job.

The fact that Mr Sessions would delegate that task to his deputy showed the Russia investigation was distracting him from his core duties.

AP

Topics: world-politics, law-crime-and-justice, united-states