The FBI informed an aide to Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he did not need to reveal his foreign contacts that took place while he was carrying out official duties as a U.S. senator, backing up the Department of Justice's (DOJ) explanation for why Sessions didn't disclose his contacts with the Russian ambassador on security clearance forms, CNN reported on Sunday.

The network reported that an unnamed FBI agent had informed one of Sessions's aides in a March email that "he was not required to list foreign government contacts while in official government business unless he developed personal relationships from such contacts."

The statement was in response to a question from one of Sessions's aides.

The report backs up the DOJ's explanation for not including his foreign contacts on his security clearance application form.

CNN first reported in May that Sessions did not disclose his meetings with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak on the SF-86 form.

DOJ spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores told CNN at the time that an FBI employee who was helping Sessions complete the form advised him that he did not have to disclose meetings with foreign ambassadors that took place during his time in the Senate.

Democrats had previously knocked Sessions for omitting the contacts on the form.

The report comes as multiple congressional panels and special counsel Robert Mueller continue to probe alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.