Pelosi Says AG Jeff Sessions Should Resign After 'Lying Under Oath'
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign for allegedly lying under oath to the Senate Judiciary Committee about his meetings with Russian officials.
"Now, after lying under oath to Congress about his own communications with the Russians, the Attorney General must resign. Sessions is not fit to serve as the top law enforcement officer of our country and must resign. There must be an independent, bipartisan, outside commission to investigate the Trump political, personal and financial connections to the Russians," Pelosi said in a statement Wednesday evening.
Pelosi said that during the confirmation hearing, Sessions said he did not have communications with the Russians.
"We now know that statement is false," Pelosi said.
Justice Department officials have confirmed with CBS News that Sessions had two contacts with Russian envoy Sergey Kislyak during the presidential campaign. The Washington Post first reported the meetings on Wednesday.
Session said in a statement Wednesday night, "I never met with any Russian officials to discuss issues of the campaign. I have no idea what this allegation is about. It is false."
The Justice Department said Sessions was asked only about communication between the Trump campaign and Russia, but not about the meetings he took with Russian officials as a Senator and member of the Armed Services Committee.
Read More: Jeff Sessions spoke twice with Russian envoy during presidential campaign
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) weighed in on social media Wednesday night, also calling for Sessions resignation as well as a Congressional investigation into Russia and a special prosecutor.
Other top Democrats are calling on Sessions to recuse himself from any investigation into Donald Trump and his associates' communications with the Russians.
Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said in a statement Wednesday, "It is inconceivable that even after Michael Flynn was fired for concealing his conversations with the Russians that Attorney General Sessions would keep his own conversations secret for several more weeks."
Sen. Kamala Harris weighed in via Twitter on Wednesday evening saying, "This is another clear sign Sessions must recuse himself from an investigation into Russia's influence in the White House."
By Hannah Albarazi - Follow her on Twitter: @hannahalbarazi.
