US Attorney General Sessions Agrees to Appear Before Senate Intel Panel Tuesday

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Comey’s Thursday testimony raised serious concerns about Sessions's March 2 decision to recuse himself from the investigation into US President Donald Trump team's ties with Russia after the chief lawyer was accused of meeting with Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. During a congressional hearing, Comey signaled that there were some yet unknown by the public reasons behind Sessions's recusal.

"In light of reports regarding Mr. Comey’s recent testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, it is important that I have an opportunity to address these matters in the appropriate forum … Therefore, I am pleased to accept the invitation to appear before members of that committee on June 13th," Sessions said in a Saturday statement.

Following Sessions's decision distance himself from the probe, US media reported that both the US Congress and FBI were looking into whether Sessions and Kislyak met at Trump’s campaign event in April 2016. On May 9, Trump fired Comey upon a recommendation by Sessions.

Reports suggesting that US intelligence discovered an alleged Russian hack of Republican National Committee (RNC) computers during the election campaign emerged yet in late 2016, but no leaks followed. The Democratic National Committee's (DNC) computers were also hacked in summer 2016, resulting in a number of compromising leaks.

The CIA claimed Russia deliberately targeted the presidential campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, because it wanted US President Donald Trump to win, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reportedly reached opposite conclusions from the same raw intelligence. Russia has repeatedly refuted the allegations.