U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions says he has agreed to appear on June 13 before a Senate committee investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
In a June 10 letter seen by news agencies, Sessions said he made his decision to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee in light of testimony by former FBI Director James Comey to the same panel on June 8.
Sessions sent the letter to Senator Richard Shelby (Republican-Alabama), who is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.
Sessions was originally scheduled to testify before Shelby's panel before deciding to appear before the Intelligence Committee instead.
Sessions is under scrutiny for his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. during the presidential campaign.
President Donald Trump's firing of Comey, whose FBI was investigating Russian meddling, led to an outcry among lawmakers.
Sessions, who heads the Justice Department -- under which the FBI falls -- had been forced to recuse himself from any Russian investigations due to his own interactions with Russian officials before Trump's January 20 inauguration.
U.S. Attorney General Agrees To Appear Before Panel Probing Russian Actions
Attorney General Jeff Sessions