Sessions says he will appear before Senate Intelligence Committee

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions' testimony to the Senate Intelligence committee Tuesday will be open to the public.

"In light of reports regarding Mr. Comey's recent testimony, it is important that I have an opportunity to address these matters in the appropriate forum", Sessions wrote.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions waits to address the National Law Enforcement Conference on Human Exploitation in Atlanta, Georgia, US, June 6, 2017. He says in a letter to Shelby that the Russian investigation would become the focus and he would appear before the intelligence committee instead.

Sessions stepped aside in March from the federal investigation into contacts between Russia and the campaign after acknowledging that had met twice previous year with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. He had told lawmakers at his January confirmation hearing that he had not met with Russians during the campaign.

The move is a prominent switch from his previous plans to testify publicly on the Justice Department's budget and puts him more directly in the firing line over questions about his contacts with the Russian ambassador to the United States and a federal investigation into Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election.

Reed said he was concerned that Sessions had recommended Comey be fired even after he had recused himself from Russia-related matters.

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He condemned the alleged attack on a television crew when Deepa entered the Poes Garden residence of the late AIADMK supremo. Responding to a question, he said it would be proved soon that the "cadres are with us".

Former FBI director Mr Comey appeared before the same panel last week, during which he accused the White House of "lying" about the FBI. Sessions said the Senate Intelligence Committee is most appropriate because it "has access to relevant, classified information".

Despite the recusal, Sessions was involved in deciding to fire Comey.

Trump asked Sessions, along with other members of the Trump administration, to leave him and Comey alone after a counter-terrorism briefing February 14, one day after national security adviser Michael Flynn was sacked.

Comey's testimony raised questions about Sessions' engagements with Russian Federation and his involvement in Comey's firing despite Sessions' recusal from the Russian Federation investigation, which Comey was leading. Pressed on the issue Friday, Trump said "I'll tell you about that maybe sometime in the very near future". Lankford is on the intelligence committee, the forum for last week's riveting Comey testimony and Tuesday's hearing.

Comey's appearance raised new questions about the attorney general's relationship with Russian officials and others with ties to President Vladimir Putin.

Sessions has been dogged by questions about possible encounters with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak.

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