U.S. Attorney General Revises But Defends Testimony On Russian Contacts

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions (file photo)

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has acknowledged having spoken twice last year with the Russian ambassador in revised testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 6, but insisted his original testimony not mentioning those meetings was "correct."

Sessions provided the committee with revisions to testimony given originally at a January confirmation hearing, during which he declared he did not have any communications with Russians during the presidential campaign. But last week he admitted he met with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak twice last year, though he said the meetings were unrelated to the campaign.

"I do not recall any discussions with the Russian ambassador, or any other representative of the Russian government, regarding the political campaign on these occasions or any other occasion," Sessions said in his revised testimony.

Sessions was asked at the confirmation hearing what he would do if reports of repeated contacts between Trump associates and Russians were true.

"I did not mention communications I had had with the Russian ambassador over the years because the question did not ask about them," Sessions wrote. "My answer was correct."

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters