Trump says he has 'total' confidence in Sessions

President Donald Trump said Thursday he has “total” confidence in Jeff Sessions following the revelation that his attorney general had two meetings with the Russian ambassador last year and did not tell senators about them during his confirmation hearing.

Trump told reporters on Thursday that he "wasn't aware" of Sessions' meetings with the ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. When asked if Sessions spoke truthfully to the Senate, the president responded, "I think he probably did."


Sessions met with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak twice during the campaign as Russian officials apparently tried to influence the election in Trump’s favor. During his confirmation hearing, Sessions told senators that “I did not have communications with the Russians” and said he had not discussed the campaign with Russian officials.

The president’s restrained defense of whether Sessions had told the truth during his hearing differs from the White House's earlier response Thursday. White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Sessions had been “100 percent straight” during his testimony and added Democrats were guilty of "continuing to push a false narrative for political purposes."

Trump was more emphatic in saying he didn't think Sessions should recuse himself from an investigation into contacts between Trump campaign advisers and Russian officials in the run-up to the election.

"I don't think so at all," Trump said. "I don't think he should do that at all."

Some congressional Democrats called for Sessions’ resignation, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi agreed, tweeting that “the integrity of our legal system depends on it.”

Lawmakers from both parties called for the attorney general to recuse himself from any investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.