Asked if President Donald Trump was comfortable with Jeff Sessions testifying, Sean Spicer said, "We’re aware of it, and we’ll go from there.” Spicer: 'Premature' to discuss executive privilege ahead of Sessions testimony

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday that it would be “premature” to say whether the White House will invoke executive privilege to limit the scope of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.

Whether the White House invokes executive privilege “depends on the scope of the questions,” Spicer told reporters at Monday’s briefing. “And to get to a hypothetical at this point would be premature.”


Sessions will testify Tuesday in an open hearing about his role in the Russia investigation. He told lawmakers over the weekend that he will appear before the Senate panel instead of previously scheduled hearings regarding Justice Department funding.

Spicer said he was not sure whether Sessions’ team contacted the White House before he agreed to testify on the Russia probe. “I don’t know the answer to that question,” he said. “I know Congress generally speaking sets whether a hearing is open or closed based on the sensitivity of the subject.”

Asked if President Donald Trump was comfortable with Sessions testifying, Spicer said: “He’s going to testify. We’re aware of it, and we’ll go from there.”