This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2017/jun/13/jeff-sessions-testimony-russia-contacts-live
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Jeff Sessions testimony: attorney general grilled on Russia ties – live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 7.49pm BST | |
| 19:49 | |
| Vice-chairman Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, is up. He says thanks to Sessions for coming. | |
| But he expresses concern that Sessions was originally scheduled to testify before the House and Senate Appropriations committee. | |
| “I believe he should also answer questions for both of those committees, and the judiciary committee as well.” | |
| Warner says today’s testimony is “just the beginning of our interaction with you.” | |
| Warner makes it clear that Sessions requested to speak with the committee today. Warner hopes that cooperation will be sustained. | |
| 7.47pm BST | |
| 19:47 | |
| Senate Russia inquiry has interviewed 35 individuals | |
| Burr says that in its Russia inquiry the committee has interviewed 35 individuals including former homeland security secretary (under Obama) Jeh Johnson. | |
| 7.46pm BST | |
| 19:46 | |
| Chairman Richard Burr, the Republican from North Carolina, says the committee recognizes the “gravity of our investigation” into Russia but at the same time is keeping up its oversight of the intelligence community. | |
| “I’ve said repeatedly that I do not believe what the committee does should be done in public, but I also recognize the gravity of the current investigation... it is for that reason that the committee has now held its 10th open hearing of 2017.” | |
| Burr complained about this last week too. That the work of his committee is on public view. | |
| 7.42pm BST | |
| 19:42 | |
| Here now is Sessions. He swoops in for a kiss from his wife, Mary, on the way to his chair. Shakes hands with the committee leaders and takes a seat. | |
| 7.39pm BST | |
| 19:39 | |
| We remember getting pretty pumped for some of those Snowden-era James Clapper / Keith Alexander / John Brennan episodes... but fair enough: | |
| America has gotten pumped for more congressional hearings in the last ten days than in the last ten years. | |
| 7.36pm BST | |
| 19:36 | |
| Your senators are taking their seats. At least Marco Rubio is. | |
| 7.35pm BST | |
| 19:35 | |
| Room is hushed. Any moment now. | |
| 7.13pm BST | 7.13pm BST |
| 19:13 | 19:13 |
| We’ve told you what questions for Sessions we’d like to hear. | We’ve told you what questions for Sessions we’d like to hear. |
| How about you? What would you ask the AG? | How about you? What would you ask the AG? |
| Here’s a refresher on his January confirmation hearing: | Here’s a refresher on his January confirmation hearing: |
| 7.03pm BST | 7.03pm BST |
| 19:03 | 19:03 |
| Hello and welcome to our live blog coverage of attorney general Jeff Sessions’ testimony before the Senate select committee on intelligence. It’s the same committee that questioned former FBI director James Comey last week. | Hello and welcome to our live blog coverage of attorney general Jeff Sessions’ testimony before the Senate select committee on intelligence. It’s the same committee that questioned former FBI director James Comey last week. |
| Sessions takes the hot seat at 2.30pm ET. We’ll have a live video stream atop the blog. | Sessions takes the hot seat at 2.30pm ET. We’ll have a live video stream atop the blog. |
| Sessions is on Capitol Hill today to answer questions about the firing of Comey last month and about ties between the Donald Trump presidential campaign and Russian government operatives. | Sessions is on Capitol Hill today to answer questions about the firing of Comey last month and about ties between the Donald Trump presidential campaign and Russian government operatives. |
| What makes this outing by Sessions so interesting? He’s a major figure in the intertwined Russia and Comey affairs, and his public story has changed enough that two Democratic senators have already accused him of possibly committing perjury, during his January confirmation hearing, by failing to own up to his own contacts with Russian operatives. | What makes this outing by Sessions so interesting? He’s a major figure in the intertwined Russia and Comey affairs, and his public story has changed enough that two Democratic senators have already accused him of possibly committing perjury, during his January confirmation hearing, by failing to own up to his own contacts with Russian operatives. |
| Questions we’d like to hear: | Questions we’d like to hear: |
| – Can you describe being kicked out of the Oval Office by Trump so that that the president could speak alone with Comey? | – Can you describe being kicked out of the Oval Office by Trump so that that the president could speak alone with Comey? |
| Trump has denied he told Comey that he hoped the FBI could lay off former national security adviser Michael Flynn. It would interesting to know whether Sessions backs up Comey’s account of the scene in other respects. | Trump has denied he told Comey that he hoped the FBI could lay off former national security adviser Michael Flynn. It would interesting to know whether Sessions backs up Comey’s account of the scene in other respects. |
| “My sense was the attorney general knew he shouldn’t be leaving, which is why he was lingering,” Comey testified last Thursday. | “My sense was the attorney general knew he shouldn’t be leaving, which is why he was lingering,” Comey testified last Thursday. |
| – How many times did you meet with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak before the election? | – How many times did you meet with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak before the election? |
| During his 10 January confirmation hearing, Sessions said, “I did not have communications with the Russians.” | During his 10 January confirmation hearing, Sessions said, “I did not have communications with the Russians.” |
| On 1 March, the Washington Post reported that Sessions had in fact met with Kislyak twice. | On 1 March, the Washington Post reported that Sessions had in fact met with Kislyak twice. |
| When the Post story broke, Sessions’ spokespeople said he did not consider the conversations relevant to the lawmakers’ questions. “There was absolutely nothing misleading about his answer,” said a spokeswoman. But in response to the criticism he recused himself from the Russia investigation. | When the Post story broke, Sessions’ spokespeople said he did not consider the conversations relevant to the lawmakers’ questions. “There was absolutely nothing misleading about his answer,” said a spokeswoman. But in response to the criticism he recused himself from the Russia investigation. |
| More recent reports have suggested that there was a third undisclosed meeting. | More recent reports have suggested that there was a third undisclosed meeting. |
| – What was Comey referring to in this exchange from his testimony? | – What was Comey referring to in this exchange from his testimony? |
| WYDEN: Let me turn to the Attorney General. In your statement, you said that you and the FBI leadership team decided not to discuss the president’s actions with Attorney General Sessions, even though he had not recused himself. | WYDEN: Let me turn to the Attorney General. In your statement, you said that you and the FBI leadership team decided not to discuss the president’s actions with Attorney General Sessions, even though he had not recused himself. |
| What was it about the Attorney General’s own interactions with the Russians, or his behavior with regard to the investigation, that would have led the entire leadership of the FBI to make this decision? | What was it about the Attorney General’s own interactions with the Russians, or his behavior with regard to the investigation, that would have led the entire leadership of the FBI to make this decision? |
| COMEY: Our judgment, as I recall, was that he was very close to and inevitably going to recuse himself for a variety of reasons. We also were aware of facts that I can’t discuss in an open setting that would make his continued engagement in a Russia-related investigation problematic. | COMEY: Our judgment, as I recall, was that he was very close to and inevitably going to recuse himself for a variety of reasons. We also were aware of facts that I can’t discuss in an open setting that would make his continued engagement in a Russia-related investigation problematic. |
| And so we were — we were convinced — and, in fact, I think we had already heard that the career people were recommending that he recuse himself — that he was not going to be in contact with Russia- related matters much longer, and that turned out to be the case. | And so we were — we were convinced — and, in fact, I think we had already heard that the career people were recommending that he recuse himself — that he was not going to be in contact with Russia- related matters much longer, and that turned out to be the case. |
| – Did Comey ask you not to let the president contact him directly? | – Did Comey ask you not to let the president contact him directly? |
| Disturbed by the president’s habit of contacting him directly with requests such as asking him to announce that Trump was not under investigation, Comey said he asked Sessions to tell the president to stop doing that. | Disturbed by the president’s habit of contacting him directly with requests such as asking him to announce that Trump was not under investigation, Comey said he asked Sessions to tell the president to stop doing that. |
| “I talked to him and said, “You have to be between me and the president, and that’s incredibly important,” and I forget my exact words,” Comey testified. | “I talked to him and said, “You have to be between me and the president, and that’s incredibly important,” and I forget my exact words,” Comey testified. |
| – What was your role in Comey’s firing, given your supposed “recusal” from the Russia inquiry? | – What was your role in Comey’s firing, given your supposed “recusal” from the Russia inquiry? |
| As mentioned above, Sessions “recused” himself from the Russia inquiry after his undisclosed meetings with Kislyak came to light. But when Comey, who was in charge of the investigation, was fired, there was Sessions once again, front and center with a letter to the president saying “a fresh start is needed at the leadership of the FBI.” | As mentioned above, Sessions “recused” himself from the Russia inquiry after his undisclosed meetings with Kislyak came to light. But when Comey, who was in charge of the investigation, was fired, there was Sessions once again, front and center with a letter to the president saying “a fresh start is needed at the leadership of the FBI.” |
| Senate minority leader Chuck Schemer said on Monday, “Recommending director Comey’s firing would seem to be a violation of his recusal, and attorney general Sessions needs to answer for that.” | Senate minority leader Chuck Schemer said on Monday, “Recommending director Comey’s firing would seem to be a violation of his recusal, and attorney general Sessions needs to answer for that.” |
| Read our news coverage: | Read our news coverage: |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 7.09pm BST | at 7.09pm BST |