Attorney General Jeff Sessions came out swinging in a dramatic appearance before a Senate committee, branding any claims that he had helped or was aware of any collusion with Russian officials to interfere in the 2016 election as an "appalling and detestable lie."
Watch his testimony and follow along on CNN’s live blog.
Sessions said in his opening statement that he did not recall a third meeting with Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak in the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, despite reports that the FBI had been investigating whether such a contact took place.
"I did not have any private meetings nor recall any private conversations with any Russian official at the Mayflower Hotel," Sessions told the Senate intelligence committee.
Sessions is appearing before the committee for the first time since recusing himself from the Russia investigation. He faces questions from Democrats about why he still played a role in the firing of FBI Director James Comey, which Trump later said was motivated by the probe into Moscow's meddling the last year's election.
Sessions argued that his recusal from the Russia investigation did not mean that he should be barred from his duties overseeing the FBI.
"I recused myself from any investigation into the campaigns for President, but I did not recuse myself from defending my honor against scurrilous and false allegations," Sessions said.
Sessions said that he has confidence in Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed to lead the federal investigation into the Trump team's Russia ties.
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