“Well, I’ve said that whenever it’s appropriate, I will recuse myself. No doubt about that,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions says. | AP Photo Sessions open to recusing himself from DOJ probe into Trump-Russia ties

Attorney General Jeff Sessions told NBC News on Thursday morning that he would be open to recusing himself from the Department of Justice’s investigation into ties between President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Russian government.

Sessions’ willingness to recuse himself from that investigation comes the morning after The Washington Post reported that, as a senator, he met twice with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. during last year’s presidential campaign. The attorney general did not disclose those meetings — which came amid an effort by the Kremlin to aid Trump’s candidacy— during his confirmation hearings.


“Well, I have not met with any Russians at any time to discuss any political campaign, and those remarks are unbelievable to me and are false. And I don't have anything else to say about that, so thank you,” Sessions said during a brief exchange with a reporter Thursday morning outside his home.

Sessions' stated willingness to recuse himself from the investigation was apparently not captured on video, or at least not shown on-air on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” but was relayed by host Willie Geist.

Sessions under fire over Russia meetings

“Well, I’ve said that whenever it’s appropriate, I will recuse myself. No doubt about that,” Sessions told NBC News.

News that the attorney general met with the Russian ambassador comes just weeks after Trump’s national security adviser was forced to resign over revelations that he had discussed easing sanctions with that same Russian ambassador and then misled Vice President Mike Pence and others about that conversation.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has called for Sessions’ resignation over the previously undisclosed meetings.