Attorney General Jeff Sessions retains private lawyer

Kevin Johnson | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – Jeff Sessions, the nation's chief law enforcement officer and top prosecutor, has private lawyer of his own.

Attorney Charles "Chuck" Cooper, a longtime advocate for conservative causes, has been providing counsel to the attorney general, most recently in preparation for his appearance last week before the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is investigating possible collusion between President Trump's campaign and Russian officials.

Cooper confirmed Tuesday that he is representing the attorney general but declined further comment, citing "confidential client matters.''

Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said Cooper, a Sessions friend and former candidate to serve as U.S. solicitor general, also advised Sessions during his January confirmation hearing.

In that hearing, Sessions said he had no contacts with Russian officials during the campaign, only to amend his testimony following disclosures in The Washington Post that he had met with the ambassador in July at the Republican National Convention and in September in the Washington office of the then-Alabama senator. Facing a storm of criticism about his failure to disclose the two encounters, Sessions recused himself in March from any involvement in the FBI’s inquiry into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.

During the Intelligence Committee hearing last Tuesday, Sessions said that any suggestion he colluded with Russian officials while he was advising the Trump campaign is "an appalling and detestable lie."