Jeff Sessions Under Fire For Not Disclosing Russia Convo With Papadopoulos During Senate Hearings

CNN reports:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is once again under scrutiny on Capitol Hill regarding his candor about Russia and the Trump campaign amid revelations that he rejected a suggestion to convene a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump last year.

According to court filings unsealed this week, Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos suggested at a March 2016 meeting that he could use his connections to set up a meeting between Putin and Trump with the then-GOP candidate’s national security team. An Instagram picture on Trump’s account shows Sessions attended the meeting at which Papadopoulos made the suggestion.

After Trump declined to rule out the idea, Sessions weighed in and rejected the proposed meeting, according to a person who attended. But Sessions, who was a top surrogate for Trump during the campaign, did not disclose these discussions despite a persistent set of questions from Democrats and some Republicans about Russia during multiple hearings on Capitol Hill. The new information is renewing attention to how forthcoming Sessions has been with Congress.

Mother Jones reports:



Sen. Al Franken on Thursday issued a fiery letter demanding answers from US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, amid reports Sessions emphatically rejected a proposal in March 2016 from former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos to set up a meeting between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. “This newest revelation strongly suggests that the Senate—and the American public—cannot trust your word,” Franken wrote.

During his confirmation hearings in January, Sessions told Congress in sworn testimony that he was unaware of any discussions between the Trump campaign and Russian officials to collaborate in defeating Hillary Clinton. Session’s interaction with Papdopoulos at the March 31 meeting came to light this week alongside the revelation that Papadopoulos quietly plead guilty to lying to federal authorities over the summer about his attempts to work with Russian officials on behalf of the Trump campaign.