Jeff Sessions calls accusations that he lied 'a lie'

Attorney General Jeff Sessions insisted Tuesday that he has been answering Congress' questions to the best of his ability during several congressional hearings. Sessions made the claim while appearing before the House Judiciary Committee. Last week, 17 House Democrats signed a letter written to Sessions that announced their intent to press the attorney general on a statement made during his January confirmation hearing, when he claimed he was not aware of any contacts between Russian officials and members of Trump's campaign.

To that end, Sessions said in forceful, prepared remarks Tuesday: "I will not accept, and reject, accusations that I have ever lied. That is a lie."

Challenged by Democratic senators earlier this month about why he did not disclose that former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos had proposed a meeting between then-candidate Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting Sessions attended, Sessions told the committee Tuesday that he had "no recollection" of the meeting until the news reports came out. "I do now recall that the March 2016 meeting at the Trump Hotel that [George] Papadopoulos attended, but I have no clear recollection of the details of what he said at that meeting," Sessions added.

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All of Sessions' testimony can be watched live or from the beginning at C-SPAN.