Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., demanded Attorney General Jeff Sessions “must return” before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify under oath after a new report disputed Sessions’ prior testimony in which he denied knowing about former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos’ proposed meeting with the Russians.
Responding to documents unsealed this week which show that Sessions was apparently aware of the proposed March 2016 meeting and actively tried to shut it down, Leahy wrote in a statement that Sessions “needs to come back before the Senate Judiciary Committee.”
Sessions had repeatedly told the committee that he was not aware of any communications between the Trump campaign and Russian officials or any proposed meeting between the two.
Leahy said Thursday that Sessions was given two chances to clarify his recollection of the proposed meeting with Russian officials, yet “continued to mislead.”
“He now needs to come back before the Committee, in person, under oath, to explain why he cannot seem to provide truthful, complete answers to these important and relevant questions,” Leahy wrote.
Further contradicting the attorney general’s previous statements, former Trump adviser Carter Page reportedly testified in private before the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday that he personally told Sessions that he was traveling to Russia.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Papadopoulos pleaded guilty for lying to the FBI about his interactions with the Russians.
