Jeff Sessions requested that his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee be open to the public, according to the Associated Press. The Justice Department has said that while Sessions was there, for a speech by Trump, there were no meetings or private encounters.
All of these topics will likely come under further scrutiny when the former Alabama senator faces the intelligence committee, one Republican member of the panel, Sen. Sessions is especially important to the case because as the attorney general, he was Comey's boss, and because Comey testified "the attorney general lingered by my chair, but the president thanked him and said he wanted to speak only with me".
If Sessions chooses to opt out of answering certain questions, legal experts say the committee can hold him in contempt - but that could elongate the testimony and could potentially take months. Is there any request from the President or any other official in the White House that has made you uncomfortable since you were sworn in as attorney general? Sessions removed himself from involvement any probe into alleged Russian meddling in the elections in March, but maintained he did nothing wrong by failing to disclose that he met previous year with Russia's ambassador. He will also likely be asked if he knows of any ties between anyone in Trump's campaign who may have coordinated with the Russians, and if there is any suggestion of obstruction of justice by the president following the firing of national security adviser Michael Flynn. "I hope you can let this go".
On Monday, the White House did not rule out the possibility of Sessions invoking executive privilege at some point during his testimony. Kamala Harris, who asked if Sessions reviewed any documents related to the investigation before or after recusing himself (Comey answered that he didn't know) and whether he put a mechanism or process in place to ensure he would not have any contact with the investigation (again, Comey said he didn't know).
That remark came after revelations emerged that Sessions had met with Russia's ambassador to the USA last year, despite testifying under oath during a confirmation hearing that he "did not have communications with the Russians".
Unclear if Trump will block Comey's testimony
Had Trump kept silent, "He would have had a stronger basis because of the ongoing Russian Federation investigation", Rozell added. Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein also are expected to testify.
"Now, twice in 2 mos., AG Sessions cancels an Approps hg in which I could Q him about his false testimony and half-hearted Russian Federation recusal", he said in a later tweet.
A third area of vulnerability for Sessions also arose from the Comey hearing.
Comey said that Sessions "did not reply". In fact, his own survival as attorney general, which has recently been a subject of much debate, could hinge on his performance before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
With this being the first time Sessions has testified in Congress since recusing himself from the investigation, there could be a lot to learn. Sessions is expected to be asked questions about possible contact with Russian officials during and after the transition. Melania Trump said in a Twitter message.
Comey's testimony raised a number of questions about Trump and his administration. And he can expect questions about his involvement in Comey's May 9 firing, the circumstances surrounding his decision to recuse himself from the FBI's investigation, and whether any of his actions - such as interviewing candidates for the FBI director position or meeting with Trump about Comey - violated his recusal pledge.
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