Xx senator burr i appreciate your willingness to appear before the committee today and thank you for your years as a member of this body and your recent leadership at the department of justice. As i mentioned when director comey appeared before last week, this committees role is to be the eyes and ears for the other 85 members of the United States senate and for the American People ensuring that the Intelligence Committee is operating lawfulfully and has the necessary tools to keep america safe. The community is a large and diverse place. We recognize the graft of our investigation into russias interference in the 2016 u. S. Elections. While we investigate russia, we are scrutinizing c. I. A. s budget while we are investigating russia, we are still scrutinizing c. I. A. s budget, our nations Satellite Program and the i. C. Effort to recruit and retain the best talent we can find. More oven than not. The committee conducts its work behind closed doors and our methods are protected. The sanctity of these sources and methods are at the heart of our ability to keep us safe and keep our allies safe from those who seek to harm us. I have said repeatedly, that i did not believe any committee that the committee does, should be done in public. But i also recognize the gravity of the committees current investigation and the need for the American People to be presented the facts so they might make their own judgments. It is for that reason that this committee has now held its 10th open hearing of 2017. More than double that of the committee in recent years and the fifth on the topic of russian interference. Attorney general sessions, this is your opportunity to separate fact from fiction. And to set the record straight on a number of allegations reported in the press. For example, there are several issues that im hopeful we will address today. One, did you have any meetings with russian officials or their proxies on behalf of the Trump Campaign during your time as attorney general . Two, what was your involvement with trumsps he Foreign Policy team . Three, why did you recuse yourself from the Russian Investigations . And what role did you play in the removal of thenf. B. I. Director comey . I look for an honest discussion to discuss russias interference. The staff is interviewing the relevant parties having spoken to more than 35 individuals to date to include just yesterday, an interview of former Homeland Security jeh johnson and we continue to review some of the most sensitive intelligence in our countrys possession. As i have said previously, we will establish the facts, separate from rampant speculation and lay them out for the American People to make their own judgment. Only then while we as a nation be able to put this episode to rest and look to the future. Im hopeful that members will focus their questions today on the russia investigation and not squander the opportunity by taking political or partisan shots. The vice chairman and i continue to lead this investigation together on what is a highly charged political issue. We may disagree at times, but we remain a unified team with a dedicated and focused staff working tirelessly on behalf of the American People to find the truth. The committee has made much progress. And i think all members would agree that despite a torrent of public debate of who and what committee might be best suited to lead on this issue, the Intelligence Committee has lived up to its obligation to move forward with purpose and above politics. Mr. Attorney general, its good to have you back. I would now turn to the vice chairman for any remarks he might have. Senator warner i want to thank the way we are proceeding. Mr. Attorney general, good to see you again. And we appreciate your appearance on the heels of mr. Comeys revealing testimony last week. I want to take a moment at the outset and First Express some concern with the process by which we are seeing you, the attorney general, today. Its my understanding that you were originally to testify in front of the house and Senate Appropriations committees today. I know they have been canceled to come here instead. While we appreciate your testimony before our committee, i believe and i speak i believe i speak for many of my colleagues, i believe you should answer questions from members of those committees and the Judiciary Committee as well. It is my hope you will reschedule those appearances as soon as possible. In addition, while we consider your appearance today as just the beginning of our interaction with you and your department, mr. Attorney general, we had always expected to talk to you as part of our investigation. We believe it would be later in the process. We are glad to accommodate our request but we expect to have your commitment to cooperate with all future requests and make yourself available to this committee as the chairman comment odd this very important investigation. Lets move to the subject of todays he investigation. Lets start with the campaign. You were an early supporter of mr. Trump. N march, you were named as surrogate. You were a strategic adviser who helped shape the National Security strategy. You will have key insights about the key Trump Associates that were seeking to hear from in the weeks ahead. Questions have been raised about your own interactions with filibusters from russia. You said quote, you did not have communications with russians. Senator lay high asked you whether you had been in contact with anyone in the russian government. You answered a definitive no. Despite that fact, the fact is it was discovered later you did have contact with russian government officials during the course of the campaign. In march, you acknowledged two meetings. Yet, there has been some public reports of a possible third meeting at the Mayflower Hotel on april 27. I hope today you will clear up those zreps. I hope you will be willing to provide any documents we need to shed light on this issue such as emails or calendars. And there is the topic of firing of former director comey. We received testimony from mr. Comey under oath, he outlined his very troubling interactions with the president as well as the circumstances of his firing. A few disturbing points stood out. First, mr. Comey who has decades of experience at the department of justice and at the f. B. I. Serving under president s of both parties was so unnerved by the actions of the president that he felt, compelled to tr document every interaction they had. Mr. Comey sat where you are sitting today and was concerned that the president of the United States might lie about the nature of their meetings. Thats a shocking statement from one of our nations top Law Enforcement officials. We heard that director comey took as a direction from the president that he was to drop the f. B. I. s direction investigation into mike flynn. He believes he was fired over his handling over the Russian Investigation. The president himself confirmed this in statements to the media. His is deeply troubling. We have a lot of work in order to follow up on these alarming disclosures. Mr. Attorney general, your testimony today is an opportunity to begin the process of asking those questions. For instance, again and i know others will ask, you recused yourself from the Russian Investigation but you participated in the firing of mr. Comey over the handling of that same investigation. We want to ask you about how you view your recuesal and whether you complied fully. We heard from mr. Comey that the president asked you to leave the oval office to speak oneonone with mr. Comey. We will need to hear from you how you viewed the president ial request and whether you thought it was appropriate. We want to know if you are aware of any attempts by the president to enlist leaders in the Intelligence Community to undermine this very same Russian Investigation. Most importantly, our committee will want to hear what you are doing to ensure that the russians or any other foreign add veer sears cannot attack our democratic process every again. Im concerned that the president doesnt recognize the severity of the threat. He hasnt even acknowledged the conclusions of the u. S. Intelligence community that russia massively intervened in our elections. The threat is real and not limited to us. The recent events in france are a stark reminder that all western democracies must take steps to protect themselves. And it will require our administration to get serious about this matter. In the final weeks, we have seen officials refusing to answer public unclassified questions about allegations about the president and this investigation. We had a hearing with this subject last week. And i commend the chairman who at the end of the hearing made very clear that our witnesses, it was not acceptable for our witnesses to come before Congress Without answers. The American People deserve to know what is going on here. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Senator burr attorney general sessions, if you would stand, i will administer the oath to you. Do you solemnly swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god . Attorney general sessions i do. Senator burr the floor is yours. Attorney general sessions thank you tore for allowing me to appear. I appreciate the committees important efforts to investigate russian interference. Such interference can never be tolerated and i encourage every effort to get to the bottom of any such allege. As you know, the Deputy Attorney general has appointed a special counsel toll investigate the matters relating to the russian interference in the 2016 election. Im here to address several issues that have been raised before this committee. And i appreciate the opportunity to respond to questions as fully as the lord enables me to do so. But as i advise you, mr. Chairman and consistent with Longstanding Department of justice practice, i cannot and will not violate my duty to protect the Confidential Communications i have with the president. Let me address some issues directly. I did not have private meetings nor do i recall any conversations with any russian officials at the Mayflower Hotel. I did not attend any meetings. Prior to the speech attended by the president today. I attended a reception with my staff that included at least two dozen people and President Trump, although i recall several conversations that i had during that reception. I do not have any recollection of meeting or talking to the Russian Ambassador or any other russian officials. If any interaction occurred with the Russian Ambassador, i do not remember. After the speech, i was interviewed by the news media in a different room and then i left the hotel. But i attended a reception where the Russian Ambassador was present is entirely beside the point of this investigation into russian interference in the 2016 campaign. Let me state this clearly, colleagues, i have never met with or had any conversation with any russians or any foreign officials concerning any type of interference with any campaign or election in the United States. Further, i have no knowledge of any such conversations by anyone connected to the Trump Campaign. I was your colleague in this body for 20 years, at least some of you. And the suggestion that i participated in any collusion, that i was aware of any collusion with the russian government to hurt this country, which i have served with honor for 35 years or to undermine the integrity of our democratic process is an appalling and did he testable lie. There is the assertion that i did not answer senator frankens question honestly at my confirmation hearing. Colleagues, that is false. I cant say colleagues now. Im no longer part of this body. But former colleagues, this is falls. This is what happened. Senator franken asked me a rambling question after six hours of testimony that included dramatic new allegations that the United StatesIntelligence Community, the u. S. Intelligence community had advised president elect trump that there was a continuing exchange of information during the campaign between trumps surrogates and intermediaries for the russian government. I was taken aback by that from that he explosive allege. And i had not heard. I wanted to refute that immediately. Any suggestion that i was part of such an activity. I replied, quote, i replied to senator franken this way, quote, senator franken, im not aware of any of those activities. I have been called a surrogate or two during that campaign and i did not have communications with the russians and unable toll comment on it, closed quote. That was the context in which i was asked the question and in that context, my answer was a fair and correct response to the charge as i understood it. I was responding to this allege at we surrogates had been meeting with the russians. It didnt go further than the context of the question and list any conversations that i may have had with russians in routine situations as i had many routine meetings with other foreign officials. So please hear me now. It was only in march after my confirmation hearing that a porter asked my spokesperson if i had met with any russian official. That was the first time that question had been posed to me. We provided that reporter with the information relating to the meeting that i and my staff held in my Senate Office with ambassador kislyak and the brief encounter in july during the convention in cleveland, ohio. I also provided the reporter with a list of 25 foreign ambassador meetings that i had during 2016. In addition, i provided supplemental testimony to the senate Judiciary Committee to explain this event. So i readily acknowledge these two meetings and certainly not one thing happened that was improper in any one of those meetings. Let me explain clearly the circumstances of my recusal from the investigation into the russian interference with the 2016 election. Please, colleagues, hear me on this. I was sworn in as attorney general on thursday, february 9. The very next day as i had promised to the Judiciary Committee i would do, at least at an early date, i met with Career Department officials including a senior ethics official to discuss some things reported in the press that might have some bearing whether or not i should recuse myself. On that point, february 10 until march 2, i was never briefed on any investigative details, did not access any information about the investigation. I received only the limited information that the departments career officials determined was necessary for me to form and make a recusal decision. As such, i have no knowledge about this investigation as it is ongoing today, beyond what has been publicly reported. I dont even read that carefully and i have taken no action whatsoever with regard to any such investigation. On the date of my formal recusal, my chief of staff sent an email to the heads of relevant departments including to director comey of the f. B. I. , to instruct them and inform their staffs of this recusal and advise them not to brief me or involve me in any way in such matters and in fact, they have not. Importantly, i recused myself ot because of any asserted wrongdoing or any belief that i have i may have been involved in any wrongdoing in the ampaign because of 28 c. F. C. 25. 2, i felt required it. That regulation states in effect that Department Employees should not participate in investigations of a campaign if they served as a campaign adviser. So the scope of my recusal, however, does not and cannot interfere with my ability to oversee the department of ustice, including the f. B. I. Which has an 8 billion budget and 35,000 employees. I presented to the president my concerns and those of Deputy Attorney general Rod Rosenstein about the ongoing leadership issues at the f. B. I. As stated in my letter, realming the removal of mr. Comey along with the Deputy Attorney generals memorandum on that issue which had been released by the white house. Those represent a clear statement of my views. I adopted Deputy Attorney general rosensteins points that he made in the memorandum. It is absurd to suggest that a recusal from a single investigation would render the attorney general unable to manage the leadership of the Law Enforcement components that conduct thousandses of investigations. Finally, during his testimony, mr. Comey discussed a conversation that he and i had about the meeting mr. Comey had with the president. Im happy to share with the committee my recollection of that conversation that i had with mr. Comey. Following a routine morning threlt briefing, mr. Comey spoke to me and my chief of staff. While he did not provide me with any of the substance of his conversation with the president , apparently the day before, mr. Comey expressed concern about Proper Communications protocol with the white house and with the president. I responded he didnt recall this, but i responded to his comment by agreeing that the f. B. I. And the department of justice needed to be car