Following Comey testimony, DOJ releases statement defending Jeff Sessions

Jeff Sessions.
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

In a statement released Thursday evening, the Department of Justice refuted part of former FBI Director James Comey's testimony regarding Attorney General Jeff Sessions' decision to recuse himself from the investigation into Russia.

Spokesman Ian Prior said that shortly after he was sworn in, Sessions "began consulting with career Department of Justice ethics officials to determine whether he should recuse himself from any existing or future investigations of any matters related in any way to the campaigns for president of the United States." The discussions were centered around a part of the Code of Federal Regulations, which says a Department of Justice attorney "should not participate in investigations that may involve entities or individuals with whom the attorney has a political or personal relationship," Prior said.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.