The revelation of Jeff Sessions' contact with a Russian ambassador before US President Donald Trump took office fuelled new congressional calls for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russia's role in the presidential election in 2016.
US Senator Richard Burr, the Republican chairman of the committee responsible for investigating any Russian efforts to influence the 2016 US election, said on Thursday he trusted Attorney General Jeff Sessions to decide if he should be involved in the probe.
"The Attorney General has said he would recuse himself when needed and I trust him to make what he feels is the appropriate decision as to his involvement in any investigation into Russian active measures and the 2016 election," Burr said in a statement.
Allegations surfaced that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had not disclosed two meetings with the Russian ambassador before President Donald Trump took office. Top US Democrats have called for his resignation.
Sessions, a top adviser to Trump during the presidential campaign, received Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak in his office in September 2016, the Washington Post reported. That was at the height of what US intelligence officials say was a Russian hacking campaign to influence the November election in the Republican candidate's favor.
The other encounter was in July at a Heritage Foundation event that was attended by about 50 ambassadors, during the Republican National Convention, the Post said. A Justice Department official confirmed Sessions' contacts in July and September.
Allegations over contacts between Trump aides and Russia before his inauguration, and the charge of Russian meddling, have swirled around the early days of Trump's presidency. Trump has accused former officials in the administration of former President Barack Obama of trying to discredit him.
Top Democrat in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has called for Sessions to resign and for an independent, bipartisan investigation into Trump's possible ties to Russians. "Sessions is not fit to serve as the top law enforcement officer of our country and must resign," she said in a statement late on Wednesday.
The revelation of Sessions' contacts fuelled new congressional calls for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russia's role in the 2016 presidential election.
Before Trump took office, US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia had sought to influence the campaign, including by hacking into and leaking Democratic emails. The Kremlin has denied the allegations.
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 "This file photo taken on January 10, 2017 shows Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-AL, as he is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committe")
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