Sessions Denies Improper Contacts With Russians

CNN is suing the Justice Department for copies of fired FBI Director James Comey's personal memos on his interactions with President Donald Trump. "The FBI leak of information regarding the President is outrageous, inexcusable and illegal", said Mark Corallo, a spokesman for the President's legal team.

Testifying last week before the same panel, Mr Comey recalled that Mr Trump had asked him to "let go" of a probe into one-time national security adviser Michael Flynn - exposing the President to accusations of obstruction of justice, a potentially impeachable offence.

If only those in Congress had the political instincts or noble statesmanship of President Trump, we just might get something done around here. A source familiar with the Mueller investigation confirmed the Post report, saying an examination of possible obstruction of justice charges was "unavoidable" given Comey's testimony, although the issue may not become the main focus of the probe.

"We had a constructive meeting with the special counsel today and we look forward to future engagements", Mr. Burr and Mr. Warner said in a joint statement Wednesday.

Sessions testified Tuesday that he recused himself from the current Russian Federation investigation only because of a regulation that required it because of his involvement in the Trump campaign.

"Oftentimes what happens, frankly, in counterintelligence investigations is you start looking at sort of a core intelligence question - What did the Russians do and did they do it with any Americans? - and it grows into: What did any of those Americans do in their financial matters that may also raise alarms with the FBI?"

A White House spokesman said later that Mr Trump "has no intention" of dismissing Mr Mueller.

Sessions said it would be "absurd" to suggest that a recusal from a single investigation would render him unable to manage the leadership of the FBI.

In announcing Comey's dismissal last month, Trump initially said he was acting on the recommendations of Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

President Richard M. Nixon famously invoked the notion of executive privilege to try to withhold White House tapes of himself and others discussing the Watergate scandal, and he resigned not long after he lost in the Supreme Court and was ordered to turn the materials over.

Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe in March after it was revealed he twice met with the Russian ambassador during the campaign but failed to say so at his confirmation hearing.

Trump's legal team quickly denounced the Post report.

On April 27, 2016, then-Candidate Trump held his Campaign's first major foreign policy speech at the Mayflower Hotel in Washing, D.C. Speaking to a crowd of roughly two to three dozen people, a lot of whom were foreign diplomats, he laid out his plans for putting "America first".

That is something that may have to be determined by Special Counsel Robert Mueller when he eventually releases his findings.

Linda Draper, an independent from Mulberry, Florida, who voted for Trump, said the president is the one who isn't being respected, and criticized those she says have tried to block him at every turn. Mr Trump told a television reporter that one of the reasons he had fired the 56-year-old, was because of the ongoing probe into possible collusion with Russian Federation, something the President said was nothing more than "fake news" being generated by those angry about his election victory.

Trump's decision to fire Comey, a move recommended by Sessions despite having already recused himself from the Russian Federation probe, prompted critics to charge that the president was trying to interfere with a criminal investigation.

"I think, frankly, our story shows that the president is by no means out of the woods as far as the investigation goes", the Post's Barrett told NPR.

While a sitting president is unlikely to face criminal prosecution, obstruction of justice could form the basis for impeachment.