Two Democratic senators asked former FBI Director James Comey to investigate Attorney General Jeff Sessions about an additional meeting with a Russian official he did not disclose during his confirmation hearing, CNN reported on Thursday.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), both of whom sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent requests to Comey and acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe in letters sent between March and May, CNN reported.
“We are concerned about Attorney General Sessions’ lack of candor to the committee and his failure thus far to accept responsibility for testimony that could be construed as perjury,” the senators wrote in their first request, according to CNN.
The letters were reportedly sent to Comey and McCabe on March 20, April 28, and May 12.
Sessions denied any contact with Russian officials during his confirmation hearing. However, a Washington Post report showed that Sessions met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak twice. Following the report, Sessions recused himself from any investigations into Russia.
On Wednesday, CNN reported that Congress was investigating if Session met with Kislyak a third time.
“Earlier this year, Attorney General Sessions provided false testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in response to our questions regarding his contacts with Russian officials,” Franken and Leahy said in a joint statement, according to CNN. “The attorney general never fully explained or even acknowledged the misrepresentations in his testimony, and we remained concerned that he had still not been forthcoming about the extent of his contacts with Russian officials.”
Leahy and Franken said if it is discovered that Sessions committed perjury, he should resign as attorney general.
The news of the Democrats’ request comes on the heels of the announcement that Comey will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee next week.
