President Trump insisted Thursday he has "total confidence" in Attorney General Jeff Sessions amid revelations Sessions spoke twice with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 presidential campaign. Sessions, when asked during his Senate confirmation hearing about contact between President Trump's campaign and Russia, said under oath he "did not have communications with the Russians." Sessions sometimes served as a campaign surrogate for Trump.

Sessions has defended his response in light of recent reports, noting he met with Kislyak in his capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and not on Trump's behalf. Trump on Thursday said he thinks Sessions "probably" testified truthfully about his contact with Russia. When asked if Sessions should have to rescuse himself from investigations of the Trump administration's ties to Russia, Trump said, "I don't think so."

Democrats and Republicans alike, including House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), have called for Sessions to recuse himself. Becca Stanek