Sessions to provide amended testimony on Russia ties

Attorney General Jeff Sessions plans on Monday to provide amended testimony regarding his contacts with Russia’s ambassador to the US during the presidential election.

In a statement Friday, Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr said Sessions will also respond to questions raised by Democratic senators.

The nine Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee had asked that Sessions appear again before the committee to discuss the subject. They say significant questions remain unanswered.

The Republican chairman, Sen. Chuck Grassley, rejected their request.

Sessions has recused himself from any probe that examines communications between President Donald Trump’s aides and Moscow. His decision came after revelations that Sessions spoke twice with the Russian ambassador during the campaign and failed to say so despite questioning from Congress.

After Sessions told senators under oath that “I didn’t have — did not have communications with the Russians,” journalists uncovered he had actually met the Russian ambassador twice in the months before taking office.

The meetings have raised red flags for Democrats, who have called for Sessions to resign and be investigated for perjury.

Trump said he had “total” confidence in Sessions, who “could have stated his response more accurately” but “did not say anything wrong.”

Since US intelligence took the unprecedented step of publicly accusing Russia of trying to swing the November election in Trump’s favor, questions have swirled about whether some in Trump’s campaign colluded with Moscow.

Trump has repeatedly denied any personal ties to the Kremlin, and his aides have variously denied or played down contacts with Russian officials.

But it has now emerged that a slew of associates aside from Sessions and already fired national security advisor Michael Flynn met Moscow’s envoy to Washington, Sergey Kislyak, before Trump took office.