Pressure mounts against Jeff Sessions for Russian meetings

The pressure for action against Attorney General Jeff Sessions quickly mounted Thursday, with a succession of lawmakers and liberal groups demanding punishment for his meeting during the presidential campaign with the Russian ambassador to the U.S.

The American Civil Liberties Union called for a perjury investigation because Mr. Sessions, who was a top adviser to the Trump campaign, did not disclose two meetings with the Russian ambassador when asked about contact with Moscow during his confirmation hearing.

“Jeff Sessions took an oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and it is now clear that he broke that oath in his confirmation hearing,” said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero.

“If senators of both parties allow an attorney general nominee to plainly lie under oath with no repercussions, they will render our government’s cabinet confirmation process no more than kabuki theater,” he said. “This matter must not and cannot be seen as a partisan issue, as it goes to the heart of the credibility of our democracy. The American people deserve a full investigation into whether Sessions perjured himself and if he is indeed fit to serve as our nation’s highest law enforcement official. No one is above the law — certainly not those sworn to uphold it.”

Mr. Sessions has denied he did anything wrong and maintains that his contact with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak was not part of a political campaign but in his role as a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The White House defended Mr. Sessions and dismissed the the issue as “the latest attack against the Trump administration by partisan Democrats.”

The disclosure of the meetings, which were confirmed by the Justice Department, also added fuel to the push for a special prosecutor to investigate Russian meddling in the presidential election and possible links to President Trump’s campaign, sparked new calls for Mr. Sessions to recuse himself from the ongoing FBI probe.

Top lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, called for Mr. Sessions to immediately resign.

Sen. Bob Casey, Pennsylvania Democrat, made the case in a letter to Mr. Sessions for him to recuse himself form the FBI probe into Russian interference in the election and the appointment of a special prosecutor to spearhead the investigation.

“In order to ensure the full independence and credibility of an investigation, it is critical that you recuse yourself. Current regulations (28 CFR Part 600) establish the parameters for appointment of a Special Counsel and allow for the recusal of the Attorney General from this process,” he wrote. “I believe that a senior career official in the Department of Justice, without political ties, should be responsible for the appointment of the Special Counsel to ensure the integrity of the investigation.”

Mr. Sessions said in an interview Thursday with NBC News that he would recuse himself when appropriate.

“I have not met with any Russians at any time to discuss any political campaign and those remarks are unbelievable to me and are false. And I don’t have anything else to say about that,” he said.

“I have said whenever it’s appropriate, I will recuse myself. There’s no doubt about that,” added Mr. Sessions.

Mr. Sessions met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak once at his Senate office in his capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a second time in a group setting with other ambassadors following a Heritage Foundation speech, according to the Justice Department.