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US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions will appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee as it investigates alleged Russian meddling in the election. Picture: AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File
US ATTORNEY-GENERAL Jeff Sessions will face questions about his dealings with Russian officials and whether he intentionally misled Congress as a Senate panel investigates the Kremlin’s alleged involvement in the election.
Mr Sessions’ testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, scheduled to start at 2.30pm Tuesday (4.30am Wednesday AEST), has the potential for high drama as the Russia probe continues to dominate US politics, sidelining President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda.
The former Republican US senator from Alabama, one of Mr Trump’s most avid supporters on the campaign trail, will likely have to explain why he told politicians in January he had no dealings with Kremlin officials last year.
US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions (right) is an avid supporter of US President Donald Trump. Picture: AFP/Saul LoebSource:AFP
His staffers have since acknowledged that he met twice with Russian Ambassador to the US, Sergei Kislyak. They say he did not mislead Congress because the encounters were part of his job as a senator, not as a surrogate of the Trump campaign.
But the revelations forced Mr Sessions to recuse himself from the Russia investigation in March, and it is now being handled by a special counsel.
Mr Sessions will likely be asked whether he played a role in Mr Trump’s surprise decision to fire FBI Director James Comey last month — a move that caused Mr Trump’s critics to charge that he was trying to interfere with a criminal investigation.
Sacked FBI Director James Comey (left) and former FBI Director Robert Mueller, appointed as special counsel investigating if Russia colluded in last year's bitter election campaign. Picture: AFP/Stephen JaffeSource:AFP
The Attorney-General could also face questions about whether he met Mr Kislyak on a third occasion. Several media outlets have reported that Mr Comey told the Intelligence Committee last week that the FBI was examining whether Mr Sessions met with Mr Kislyak at a Washington hotel last year.
It is not clear whether Mr Sessions plans to answer all the questions or if he will invoke executive privilege to avoid disclosing private conversations with the president.
Some members of the Intelligence Committee, frustrated by the tight-lipped performance of other administration officials last week, said they were not going to allow Mr Sessions to follow suit.
“That’s just not going to be acceptable,” said Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat on the committee.
One of those administration officials, Admiral Michael Rogers, head of the National Security Agency, met with members of the Intelligence Committee in a closed-door session, according to the agency.
US President Donald J Trump (centre) meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (left) and Russian Ambassador to the US, Sergei Kislyak, at the White House. Picture: AFP/Russian Foreign MinistrySource:AFP
Originally published as Trump’s AG to be grilled on Russia links