Allegations have surfaced that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had not disclosed two meetings with the Russian ambassador before Donald Trump took office.
US House of Representatives Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Thursday it would be easier to ensure public trust if Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from investigations into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
"I just think for any investigation going forward you want to make sure everybody trusts the investigation," McCarthy told MSNBC. Asked if that meant Sessions should recuse himself from the investigation, McCarthy said: "I think it would be easier from that standpoint, yes."
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.
US Representative Elijah Cummings criticised Sessions for keeping his contact with the ambassador secret even after Trump fired his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Sessions "should resign immediately," he said.
The revelation of Sessions' contacts fueled 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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