Open news feed Close news feed
A A

Attorney General Jeff Sessions Denies Improper Contacts With Russians (video)

Politics
1496483732

Donald Trump's Attorney General on Tuesday denied being part of any attempt to work with Russia and influence the outcome of last year’s presidential election, dismissing the accusation as a “detestable lie”. Jeff Sessions appeared before the Senate intelligence committee as part of its investigation into possible ties between Trump campaign officials and Russia. He repeatedly declined to go into his private conversations with President Donald Trump -- frustrating Democrats who accused him of "stonewalling" to shield the administration. In a heated testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee investigating Russian meddling in the election, Sessions, who was an adviser to President Donald Trump's 2016 president campaign, said he met twice with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak last year, but he denied reports that he had a third undisclosed meeting with Kislyak at a Washington hotel last April. "Let me state this clearly: I have never met with or had any conversations with any Russians or any foreign officials concerning any type of interference with any campaign or election," Sessions said. But Sessions frequently framed his answers with "to the best of my knowledge" qualifiers and left open the possibility that he had a casual encounter with Kislyak at a reception preceding a foreign policy speech by Trump at the Washington Mayflower Hotel. "If any brief interaction occurred in passing with the Russian ambassador during that reception, I do not remember it," Sessions said. Asked by Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein if he had discussed FBI Director James Comey’s handling of the Russia investigation with Trump or any other official, Sessions said, "I'm not able to comment on that." Asked by Republican Senator Marco Rubio about a February 14 Oval Office with Trump, Sessions responded, "That's a communication in the White House that I'd not comment on." In dodging questions about his private conversations with Trump, Sessions invoked a “long-standing” Department of Justice policy of not commenting on confidential conversations between the attorney general and the president rather than executive privilege. Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma defended Sessions' reticence, arguing that Obama administration officials had similarly withheld information, but Democrats were infuriated. "You raised your right hand here today and said you would solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico said. "Now you're not answering questions. You're impeding this investigation." The senators said the Committee would likely invite Sessions again as new questions may arise during the investigation. Serzh Sargsyan received today Japan International Cooperation Agency President Shinichi Kitaoka. Welcoming the guest, President Sargsyan expressed the hope that his visit would lead to new projects and ideas aimed at deepening the Armenian-Japanese cooperation that will enrich the agenda of interstate relations. Serzh Sargsyan noted with satisfaction that bilateral relations have been developing successfully since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Japan 25 years ago, with a positive trend recorded in recent years, which according to the President are largely due to the opening of Armenia’s Embassy in Tokyo in 2010 and the inauguration of Japan’s Embassy in Yerevan in 2015. President Sargsyan said to have kept warm memories of his June, 2012 visit to Japan and the fruitful meetings held with the Emperor and the Prime Minister of Japan. Noting that through State-supported programs Japan has been promoting sustainable economic development in our country ever since Armenia’s independence, the President expressed his gratitude to the Japanese Government. Serzh Sargsyan highly appreciated Japan’s contribution to Armenia’s development, funneled through loans, grants, technical assistance and other programs, where a great role is being played by Japan International Cooperation Agency. Serzh Sargsyan and Shinichi Kitaoka hailed the joint efforts in a number of spheres, including the prevention of natural disasters, infrastructure and information technology. The parties agreed to expand cooperation in the aforementioned areas. Shinichi Kitaoka spoke with great affection about the centuries-old Armenian civilization and culture, of which he is well aware by virtue of his specialization.

Armenian / Russian