Attorney General Jeff Sessions is not expected to respond Friday to Sen. Al Franken’s most recent demand for additional information on any Trump campaign contacts with Russian officials, according to a Justice Department source.
Last week, unsealed court documents in Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation revealed new details on a March 2016 campaign meeting with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, Sessions, foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, and others where the possibility of setting up a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was discussed.
Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, gave Sessions until Friday to answer a number of questions about this new information in an eight-page letter. It’s unclear whether Sessions will respond at a later date.
Sessions has continued to steadfastly deny any improper contacts with the Russians since he recused himself from any existing or future investigations related to President Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign back in March.
“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 told members of the Senate intel committee in June.
Sessions is scheduled to appear Tuesday before the House judiciary committee for an oversight hearing. Earlier this week, 17 House Judiciary Democrats have sent Sessions a letter warning him that they plan to ask him about “inconsistencies” in his prior Russia testimony before Senate committees in the wake of the Papadopoulos revelations.
CNN has also learned that Sessions is expected to be interview by the House intelligence committee as part of its own work on the Russia investigation in a closed session November 30, according to another Justice Department source.