Sessions: I Never Lied Under Oath to Congress

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in a raised voice and defiant tone, strongly defended himself Tuesday against allegations that he had misled members of Congress about his knowledge of communications between Russians and associates of President Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign.

"In all of my testimony, I can only do my best to answer all of your questions as I understand them and to the best of my memory," Sessions said in prepared remarks to the House Judiciary Committee. "But I will not accept, and reject, accusations that I have ever lied under oath. That is a lie."

Sessions, who led a foreign policy advisory council for the Trump campaign, said he did not recall an encounter with another campaign adviser, Carter Page, who has said he told Sessions last year that he was preparing to visit Russia.

He also said now recalls a meeting in March 2016 that has come under scrutiny as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether President Donald Trump's election campaign colluded with Russia.

In testimony before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Sessions acknowledged he attended a meeting with George Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser who pleaded guilty last month to lying to the FBI.

According to court documents, Papadopoulos told the meeting he could help use his Russian connections to broker a meeting between then-candidate Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Sessions said Tuesday that he now recalls having told Papadopoulos that he was not authorized to represent the Trump campaign before the Russian government.

"I pushed back, I'll just say it that way," Sessions said under questioning.

Sessions had previously testified to Congress he was unaware of communications between the campaign and Russian officials.

The appearance before the committee comes amid deepening questions about Sessions' awareness of contacts during the election effort between Russian government intermediaries and associates of the Trump campaign.

Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.