Sessions under pressure

Washington (dpa) - Sessions is to appear at a routine oversight hearing before the House Judiciary Committee at 10 am (1500 GMT) to answer a range of questions about the Justice Department‘s work.

Democrats are likely to zero in on questions about Russia, after a former foreign policy adviser to the campaign, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty to lying about his contacts with Russia.

Court documents showed that Papadopoulos had attended a meeting with Trump, Sessions and other aides at which he claims to have mentioned the possibility of arranging a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"These facts appear to contradict your sworn testimony on several occasions," Democratic lawmakers wrote to Sessions in a letter last week, outlining their concerns ahead of the hearing.

Sessions has previously denied any knowledge that anyone from the campaign might have been in contact with the Russians. He has previously come under fire for failing to disclose his own meetings with the Russian ambassador.

Court documents unsealed last month said Papadopoulos met with a professor with ties to the Russian government about information that was supposedly damaging to Trump‘s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

The charge was among the first resulting from special counsel Robert Mueller‘s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections. Sessions has recused himself from the investigation.