Sessions mulling second special counsel to investigate Republican concerns, letter shows

Joanna Estrada

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Conyers then asked Sessions, "In a functioning democracy, is it common for the leader of the country to order the criminal justice system to retaliate against his political opponents?"

The question stemmed from news Monday night that Sessions had asked senior aides to determine if the department should probe an Obama administration decision that allowed Russian Federation to acquire a financial interest in USA uranium supplies.

He and others have pointed to some of the investors in the deal and their ties to former President Bill Clinton and his foundation.

In Page's testimony, he said he "mentioned [the meeting] briefly to Senator Sessions as I was walking out the door" of a dinner just days before his trip to Russian Federation.

"I do now recall the March 2016 meeting at Trump Hotel that Mr. Papadopoulos attended, but I have no clear recollection of the details of what he said during that meeting", Sessions said.

"I believe that I wanted to make clear that he wasn't authorized to represent the campaign with the Russian government, or any other foreign government, for that matter", he testified. It was after Sessions's recusal that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller 3rd to lead the investigation into the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

The department said in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee Monday that Sessions had directed senior federal prosecutors to "evaluate certain issues" raised in recent weeks by members of Congress, which include allegations that the Clinton Foundation benefited from a years-old uranium transaction involving a Russian-backed company.

"My answer stands for itself, I guess", Sessions said.

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Johnston later said authorities had recovered a semiautomatic rifle and two handguns believed to be used by the shooter . The shooting, which took place on Tuesday, has so far seen at least two young students wounded.

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Regardless, Apple's iPhone lineup is more exciting now than it's been in quite some time and it's only bound to get better. Hopefully this iPhone X software update should help fix it for those users who need to use their phone in the cold.

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That gave them the 24-17 lead, but the Lions tied the game , setting up another bad result for the Browns. "Obviously not the outcome we wanted", Jackson said. "I came here to turn this franchise around".

Sessions has previously told Congress he was unaware of any Trump campaign contacts with Russian Federation, leading Democrats on Tuesday to accuse him of lying under oath.

Sessions recused himself from investigations related to Russian interference in the elections shortly after taking office as attorney general. "But most of you have not participated in a presidential campaign".

Sessions testified that he now remembers the meeting Papadopoulos, but his memory about conversations is limited.

He struck a similar note before the Senate Judiciary Committee last month, when he denied knowledge of communications between Russians and Trump campaign officials.

On Oct. 24, Mr. Grassley wrote in a Twitter post, "Whoever in DOJ is capable w authority to appoint a special counsel shld do so to investigate Uranium One "whoever" means if u aren't recused".

A statement responding to concerns from Republican lawmakers and issued in the name of A-G Jeff Sessions said he is leaving open the possibility.

Sessions' testimony about the independence of the DOJ stands in contrast with a letter the department sent to the House Judiciary Committee on Monday.

Sessions again refused to answer, saying that "under the politics of the Department of Justice, to announce recusal in any investigation would reveal the existence of that investigation".