Over the past year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has struggled to recall the specifics of his interactions with Russian agents during the 2016 election. In June, for example, Sessions said it was "possible" he had spoken with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at the Mayflower Hotel in April 2016 — but if it had happened, he couldn't "recall" it. A photo released later clearly placed the pair together at the hotel.
On Thursday, Sessions proved once again that he was befuddled by what may or may not have happened during the Trump campaign:
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's indictment of former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos earlier this week alleged that Papadopoulos attempted to set up a meeting between the Republican candidate and Russian President Vladimir Putin. As CNN points out, "an Instagram picture on Trump's account shows Sessions attended the meeting at which Papadopoulos made the suggestion." Trump didn't shoot down the idea, but Sessions allegedly did, a person in the room told CNN.
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"This new revelation is significant because Sessions told Congress under oath in June that he had 'no knowledge' of any conversations by anyone connected to the Trump campaign about 'any type of interference with any campaign' by Russians," NBC News reports. A Senate aide told CNN that Sessions could even be required to testify again in order to clarify what happened.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) asserted Thursday that "Jeff Sessions concealed his meetings with the Russians and he had an obligation to be more forthcoming about meetings that involved Papadopoulos."
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