Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations surrounding Russian involvement in the presidential election "to the extent they exist," in an impromptu news conference March 2. The move comes after the Washington Post broke news the night before that he twice spoke with Russia's ambassador last year and that he did not disclose the conversations when pressed during his Senate confirmation hearing.
"I have decided to recuse myself from any existing or future investigations of any matters related in any way to the campaigns for president of the United States," Sessions said. "... This announcement should not be interpreted as confirmation of the existence of any investigation or suggestive of the scope of any such investigation."
The announcement came amid bipartisan calls for to Sessions to recuse himself — and Democrat calls to resign.
Sessions told reporters he met once with Russia's ambassador. When asked what was discussed, Sessions said they discussed "normal things," including a 1991 trip to Russia with a church group, adding, "I do not recall, but most of these ambassadors are pretty gossipy. This was in the campaign season. But I don't recall any specific political discussions."
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