President Trump said Thursday he has “total” confidence in Attorney General Jeff Sessions amid some calls by Democrats for Sessions’ resignation or recusal from any Russia-related probe.
“I don’t think so,” Trump said, when asked if Sessions should recuse himself from a potential Justice Department investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
The president’s comments came after Sessions came under fire late Wednesday evening for failing to tell the Senate Judiciary Committee about two interactions he had with Russia’s ambassador to the United States prior to the election. Trump told reporters that Sessions “probably” testified truthfully during his confirmation hearing. Trump said he “wasn’t aware at all” Sessions had met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kisylak.
The former Alabama senator reportedly spoke with Kisylak in July and September 2016, while he was a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Sessions has denied that any meetings between him and Kisylak took place, telling NBC on News Thursday morning that such claims are “unbelievable” and reiterating that he will only recuse himself from a Justice Department investigation into Trump associates and Russia “whenever it’s appropriate” for him to do so.
In addition to the president’s defense of Sessions, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday that the attorney general was “100 percent straight” with his colleagues when he testified on Jan. 10 and that there is “nothing” he should recuse himself from.
“As you’ve seen, senators like Ted Cruz have come out and said this is a perfectly normal course of business,” Spicer said. “I think people are choosing to play partisan politics and they should be ashamed of themselves.”
Trump weighed in on the controversy while en route to Newport News, Va., where he delivered a speech aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford and participated in a roundtable with shipbuilders and military personnel.
