Attorney General says he now remembers discussing Russia during Trump's campaign.
In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he remembered the March 2016 meeting attended by foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos, "but I have no clear recollection of the details of what he said during that meeting"; in previous testimony, he stated he was unaware of such contacts.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Tuesday that he now remembers a meeting with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and aides in which the campaign's connections to Russia were discussed, despite having previously testified that he was unaware of such contacts.
Sessions, who testified before the House Judiciary Committee, said he remembered the March 2016 meeting which foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos attended, "but I have no clear recollection of the details of what he said during that meeting."
Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia, said during a Trump campaign rally that he had ties to Moscow and could arrange a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to court documents.
In January, during his Senate confirmation hearing, Sessions said he was unaware of any communications between the campaign and Russia.
In another Senate hearing last month, the secretary stated that he had not had any improper dealings with Russians nor was he aware of any other campaign member having done so.
Allegations of collusion with Russia during the election campaign have haunted Trump's first 10 months in office, prompting an investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller and several congressional inquiries.
US intelligence agencies have concluded that Moscow interfered in the 2016 election to help the Republican candidate Trump.
The Kremlin denies this, and Trump says there was no collusion between his campaign and Russian officials.
Sessions, who faced tough questions from Democrats on the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, vigorously denied lying to Congress about his contacts with Russia.
"I will not accept and I reject accusations that I lied under oath. That is a lie," he stated.
During the March 2016 meeting, Sessions dismissed Papadopoulos' idea of engaging with Russian contacts, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Sessions said he now remembers the conversation with Papadopoulos.
"After reading his account, and as far as I remember, I believe I wanted to make it clear to him that he was not authorized to represent the campaign to the Russian government, or any other foreign government for that matter," the secretary said on Tuesday.
After the meeting, Sessions said, he had "no further knowledge" of new contacts between the campaign and Russian officials.