RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 2 May 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"What we've now learned is that in March, during a meeting between special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecutors and President Donald Trump's lawyers, the Muellar team actually kind of floated or broached the subject of possibly subpoena--subpoenaing the president and compelling him to testify as part of the Russian probe."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Bejing - 30 January 2008

2. FILE: Former FBI Director Robert Mueller at news conference (partly coves soundbite)

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

++NIGHT SHOT++

Washington - 28 April 2018

3. US President Donald Trump walking across White House lawn (partly coves soundbite)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 2 May 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"So these have been ongoing negotiations where they're trying to secure an interview with the president where they can question him about a number of different topics. And this is all part of, not only an investigation into Russian election interference and possible coordination with the Trump campaign but also whether or not the President obstructed justice in any way through his firing of Jim Comey and some of the conversations that and actions that he took regarding the firing of Michael Flynn. And then also pressure that he exerted on Attorney General Jeff Sessions."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

New York - 29 April 2011

5. Various STILLS former Trump attorney John Dowd (partly covers soundbite)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 2 May 2018

6. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"So John Dowd is actually President Donald Trump's former personal attorney. He was on his legal team and leading the legal team. He was the key person in the negotiations between the president's legal team and an Muller's team. But then he resigned last month. Now what we're learning though is that a meeting that occurred in earlier in March when he was still leading this legal team, that's what this whole subpoena issue came up where there was a conversation where they were trying to negotiate the terms of the interview and Mueller's team basically said well you know we could at some point try to compel the President's testimony."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

New York - 12 January 2017

7. Rudy Giuliani talks to reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower (partly coves soundbite)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 2 May 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"Right now we're in a little bit of a reset on President Donald Trump's legal team because recently you know Dowd left and they brought in Rudy Giuliani they also brought in two really seasoned former federal prosecutors, Marty and Jane Raskin out of Florida. And so, we're not it's not exactly clear what this kind of what kind of impact this would have on the negotiations currently. I think what why this is important is that any time something like this becomes public it really fires up the president and as we've seen over the last few days and few weeks he has really upped his attacks on the special counsel and the Justice Department at large."

9. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"Even if there was a subpoena issued, that doesn't necessarily mean that Trump would actually have to do, to answer any questions. What what would happen is that either they would try to go to court to get the subpoena quashed or they could go into the grand jury room and basically take the Fifth the entire time. Everybody has the Fifth Amendment protection against self incrimination and they cannot compel you to testify against yourself."

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan - 28 April 2018

10. Trump steps off Air Force One, waves (partly coves soundbite)

STORYLINE:

The special counsel leading the Russia investigation raised the prospect in March of issuing a grand jury subpoena for President Donald Trump, his former attorney said, confirming that investigators have floated the extraordinary idea of forcing a sitting president to testify under oath.

Attorney John Dowd told The Associated Press on Tuesday that special counsel Robert Mueller's team broached the subject during a meeting with Trump's legal team while they were negotiating the terms of a possible interview with the president.

AP reporter Chad Day says Trump's legal team is in the midst of a reset.

"We're not it's not exactly clear what this kind of what kind of impact this would have on the negotiations currently. I think what why this is important is that any time something like this becomes public it really fires up the president and as we've seen over the last few days and few weeks he has really upped his attacks on the special counsel and the Justice Department at large," Day said.

It was not immediately clear in what context the possibility of a subpoena was raised or how serious Mueller's prosecutors were about the move. Mueller is probing not only Russian election interference and possible coordination with Trump associates but possible obstruction of justice by Trump.

Trump lashed out against the investigation in a familiar fashion Wednesday, saying on Twitter: "There was no Collusion (it is a Hoax) and there is no Obstruction of Justice (that is a setup & trap)."

Even if Mueller's team decided to subpoena Trump as part of the investigation, he could still fight it in court or refuse to answer questions by invoking his Fifth Amendment protection from self-incrimination.

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Following a hearing with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, many Senators seemed dissatisfied with the tech mogul's testimony.

Zuckerberg disclosed Tuesday his company is "working with" special counsel Robert Mueller in the federal probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign — and working hard to change its own operations after the harvesting of users' private information by a Trump campaign-affiliated data-mining company.

"We have to continue to press Facebook, continue to press Mr. Zuckerberg," said Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., after the hearing.

The founder of the social media giant publicly apologized for his company's errors in failing to better protect the personal information of its millions of users, a controversy that has brought a flood of bad publicity and sent the company's stock value plunging.

"I'm not yet satisfied that we've got an accounting for why Facebook took so long to be fully transparent with the public about what happened with Cambridge Analytica," said Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware.

Coons also criticized President Donald Trump for tweets he made Tuesday accusing Special Counsel Robert Mueller of violating attorney-client privilege.

"My concern is that as this investigation gets closer and closer to him or his family or his attorney, he is more likely to take some abrupt and unwise action," he said.

Washington - April 10, 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Ed Markey, (D) Massachusetts

"In my opinion, we have to continue to press Facebook continue to press Mr. Zuckerberg. It should be the parents of America not Facebook who determine whether or not children's information is resold to third parties. That should be a fundamental privacy bill of rights for young people in our country. I think that's why most Americans are watching. They want to know the answer to these questions. Everything that happened in Cambridge Analytica is something that then raises questions in American families about what protections they have, what protections their children have."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Ed Markey, (D) Massachusetts

"I hope that he provides all of the information which the Mueller investigation is requiring. I think it's absolutely indispensable that the American people have every bit of information out in public which makes it possible for them to determine whether or not there was, in fact, an interference with the election of 2016. It's a sacred institution that we fought the American Revolution to protect. And Facebook should provide every bit of information which is necessary for them to be able in the Mueller investigation to get the answers for the American people."

3. Sen. Dick Durbin enters

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Dick Durbin, (D) Illinois

"There is a genuine concern with the decision by the U.S. attorney of the Southern District of New York to go into Mr. Cohen's law offices and private residence. This is getting closer and closer to the President, and we hope he does not over-react. Leaders within the Republican Party has said consistently that he should not fire Bob Mueller."

5. Wide of Sen. Chris Coons

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chris Coons, (D) Delaware

"I'm not yet satisfied that we've got an accounting for why Facebook took so long to be fully transparent with the public about what happened with Cambridge Analytica."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK++

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chris Coons, (D) Delaware

"I think this will be the first of several important hearings that will allow the American people to better understand the ways in which their personal data has been monetized, and in some cases misused by important social media platforms like Facebook and others. While I was encouraged by the positive statements made by Mr. Zuckerberg at the beginning of the hearing, in my questioning I try to point out to him that there have been many cases where profits seem to be put ahead of privacy."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK++

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Chris Coons, (D) Delaware

"President Trump has made a number of really disturbing statements in recent days -- particularly following a Department of Justice and FBI raid on his personal attorney Michael Cohen's home and office. And more and more, President Trump is saying things about his view that Robert Mueller's investigation is a witch hunt that the attorney general Jeff Sessions shouldn't have recused himself. Now we know full well that months ago President Trump was determined to fire Robert Mueller and was only stopped by his own White House counsel Don McGahn threatening to resign. My concern is that as this investigation gets closer and closer to him or his family or his attorney he is more likely to take some abrupt abrupt and unwise action on a bipartisan basis, Republicans and Democrats have said in the Senate don't do that. It's not in our country's interest. It's not in your interest."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK++

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Bill Nelson (D) Florida

"But my personal information -- I don't want the Russians to have it, I don't want commercial users to have it. My personally identifiable private information ought to be private to me."

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee is questioning Attorney General Barr on his handling of various legal issues that have reflected a "dangerously expansive view of executive power and demonstrates a willingness to shield" President Donald Trump.

"This committee has a responsibility to protect Americans from that kind of corruption, Mr. Barr. We have a responsibility to ensure that the Justice Department and its Attorney General administer justice equally and fairly," said Chairman Jerry Nadler.

"We want to give you a chance to respond to our questions to these and other matters. And we hope and expect that you will do so in a clear and forthright manner. Our members expect sincere answers today, and our country deserves no less."

The hearing was to begin at 10 a.m. but was pushed back by 45 minutes because the committee's chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, was involved in a minor car accident on the drive down from New York, his office said. He was not injured.

The hearing on Tuesday marks Barr’s first appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, bringing him face-to-face with a panel that voted last year to hold him in contempt and is holding hearings on what Democrats allege is politicization of the Justice Department under his watch.

It comes during a tumultuous stretch in which Barr has taken a series of actions cheered by President Donald Trump but condemned by Democrats and other critics.

Beyond the federal response to the demonstrations, Barr is also expected to be pressed in detail about his intervention in criminal cases arising from special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. The hearing will provide Barr with a forum to offer his most detailed account to date for his actions in the criminal cases, which he has said were taken in the interests of justice and without political pressure.

Those include the Justice Department's decision to drop the prosecution of former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn - a request now tied up in court - and his firing last month of the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, whose office oversaw investigations into allies of the president.

Barr also pushed for a more lenient sentence for another Trump ally, Roger Stone, prompting the entire trial team's departure. That decision was at the center of a separate hearing before the same committee last month, when one of the prosecutors alleged that politics from Justice Department leadership had influenced the handling of the sentence.

POOL

Washington DC - 28 June 2020

1. Cutaway of House Judiciary Committee hearing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerry Nadler, (D) New York, Chairman, House Judiciary Committee:

"In the hands of President Trump, a Department of Justice that adopts a dangerously expansive view of executive power and demonstrates a willingness to shield him from accountability represents a direct threat to the liberty and safety of the country."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerry Nadler, (D) New York, Chairman, House Judiciary Committee:

"And we were warned. At your confirmation hearing, Professor Neil Kinkopf testified and I quote, public confidence in the rule of law depends on there being an Attorney General who will not allow the president to do whatever he wants with the Justice Department. William Barr's views of presidential power are so radically mistaken that he is simply the wrong man at the wrong time to be Attorney General of the United States. Close quote. Again, this failure of leadership comes at great cost. This administration has twisted the Department of Justice into a shadow of its former self, capable of serving most Americans only after it has first served those in power."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerry Nadler, (D) New York, Chairman, House Judiciary Committee:

"This committee has a responsibility to protect Americans from that kind of corruption, Mr. Barr. We have a responsibility to ensure that the Justice Department and its Attorney General administer justice equally and fairly. And this is what has brought us to this hearing room today. We want to give you a chance to respond to our questions to these and other matters. And we hope and expect that you will do so in a clear and forthright manner. Our members expect sincere answers today, and our country deserves no less."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jim Jordan (R) Ohio, Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee:

"Spying. That one word. That's why they're after you, Mr. Attorney General. Fifteen months ago, April 10th, 2019 and a Senate hearing, you said this sentence, quote, I think spying on a political campaign is a big deal. Spying on a political campaign is a big deal. It sure is. And since that day, since that day when you had the courage to state the truth, they attacked you. They'd been attacking you every since every day, every week for simply stating the truth that the Obama Biden administration spied on the Trump campaign."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jim Jordan (R) Ohio, Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee:

"He had the courage to do what no one else would do at the Justice Department. Sally Yates wouldn't call it spying. Jeff Sessions wouldn't do it. Rod Rosenstein wouldn't do it. Chris Wray sure as heck isn't going to do it. So, Mr. Attorney General, I want to thank you for having the courage to call it what it was - spying. I want to thank you for having the courage to say we're going to get the politics out of the Department of Justice that was there in the previous administration. And maybe most importantly, we're going to talk about this in our side when questioning. I want to thank you for defending law enforcement, for pointing out what a crazy idea this defund the police policy, whatever you want to call it is and standing up for the rule of law."

7. Wide shot of hearing

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee is questioning Attorney General Barr on his handling of various legal issues that have reflected a "dangerously expansive view of executive power and demonstrates a willingness to shield" President Donald Trump.

"This committee has a responsibility to protect Americans from that kind of corruption, Mr. Barr. We have a responsibility to ensure that the Justice Department and its Attorney General administer justice equally and fairly," said Chairman Jerry Nadler.

"We want to give you a chance to respond to our questions to these and other matters. And we hope and expect that you will do so in a clear and forthright manner. Our members expect sincere answers today, and our country deserves no less."

The hearing was to begin at 10 a.m. but was pushed back by 45 minutes because the committee's chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, was involved in a minor car accident on the drive down from New York, his office said. He was not injured.

The hearing on Tuesday marks Barr’s first appearance before the House Judiciary Committee, bringing him face-to-face with a panel that voted last year to hold him in contempt and is holding hearings on what Democrats allege is politicization of the Justice Department under his watch.

It comes during a tumultuous stretch in which Barr has taken a series of actions cheered by President Donald Trump but condemned by Democrats and other critics.

Beyond the federal response to the demonstrations, Barr is also expected to be pressed in detail about his intervention in criminal cases arising from special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. The hearing will provide Barr with a forum to offer his most detailed account to date for his actions in the criminal cases, which he has said were taken in the interests of justice and without political pressure.

Those include the Justice Department's decision to drop the prosecution of former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn - a request now tied up in court - and his firing last month of the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, whose office oversaw investigations into allies of the president.

Barr also pushed for a more lenient sentence for another Trump ally, Roger Stone, prompting the entire trial team's departure. That decision was at the center of a separate hearing before the same committee last month, when one of the prosecutors alleged that politics from Justice Department leadership had influenced the handling of the sentence.

POOL

Washington DC - 28 June 2020

1. Cutaway of House Judiciary Committee hearing

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerry Nadler, (D) New York, Chairman, House Judiciary Committee:

"In the hands of President Trump, a Department of Justice that adopts a dangerously expansive view of executive power and demonstrates a willingness to shield him from accountability represents a direct threat to the liberty and safety of the country."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerry Nadler, (D) New York, Chairman, House Judiciary Committee:

"And we were warned. At your confirmation hearing, Professor Neil Kinkopf testified and I quote, public confidence in the rule of law depends on there being an Attorney General who will not allow the president to do whatever he wants with the Justice Department. William Barr's views of presidential power are so radically mistaken that he is simply the wrong man at the wrong time to be Attorney General of the United States. Close quote. Again, this failure of leadership comes at great cost. This administration has twisted the Department of Justice into a shadow of its former self, capable of serving most Americans only after it has first served those in power."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerry Nadler, (D) New York, Chairman, House Judiciary Committee:

"This committee has a responsibility to protect Americans from that kind of corruption, Mr. Barr. We have a responsibility to ensure that the Justice Department and its Attorney General administer justice equally and fairly. And this is what has brought us to this hearing room today. We want to give you a chance to respond to our questions to these and other matters. And we hope and expect that you will do so in a clear and forthright manner. Our members expect sincere answers today, and our country deserves no less."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jim Jordan (R) Ohio, Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee:

"Spying. That one word. That's why they're after you, Mr. Attorney General. Fifteen months ago, April 10th, 2019 and a Senate hearing, you said this sentence, quote, I think spying on a political campaign is a big deal. Spying on a political campaign is a big deal. It sure is. And since that day, since that day when you had the courage to state the truth, they attacked you. They'd been attacking you every since every day, every week for simply stating the truth that the Obama Biden administration spied on the Trump campaign."

++SEPARATED BY BLACK++

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jim Jordan (R) Ohio, Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee:

"He had the courage to do what no one else would do at the Justice Department. Sally Yates wouldn't call it spying. Jeff Sessions wouldn't do it. Rod Rosenstein wouldn't do it. Chris Wray sure as heck isn't going to do it. So, Mr. Attorney General, I want to thank you for having the courage to call it what it was - spying. I want to thank you for having the courage to say we're going to get the politics out of the Department of Justice that was there in the previous administration. And maybe most importantly, we're going to talk about this in our side when questioning. I want to thank you for defending law enforcement, for pointing out what a crazy idea this defund the police policy, whatever you want to call it is and standing up for the rule of law."

7. Wide shot of hearing

Attorney General Jeff Sessions strongly disputed allegations that he was not truthful in earlier testimony about Trump campaign contacts with Russian officials. "I will not accept and reject accusations that I have ever lied," he said.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions says that he does not remember speaking to Carter Page during the 2016 presidential campaign about a trip that the former foreign policy campaign adviser took to Russia.

Page told the House intelligence committee earlier this month that he had informed some members of the Trump campaign about the trip, including Sessions. He said he mentioned in passing to Sessions that he was visiting Russia and Sessions had no reaction.

Page's trip has drawn scrutiny in probes of Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign.

Sessions said he doesn't challenge Page's recollection, but doesn't remember the conversation.

He also said he thinks he told former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos that he wasn't authorized to represent the campaign with the Russian government.

Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about foreign contacts. He was part of a foreign policy council that Sessions chaired, and charging documents in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation indicate that Papadopoulos told the council that he could help arrange a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

An attendee at the meeting recalled that Sessions quickly shut the conversation down.

Sessions said that to his recollection, "I believe that I wanted to make clear to him that he was not authorized to represent the campaign with the Russian government, or any other foreign government, for that matter."

POOL

Washington, DC - 14 November 2017

1. Wide of Attorney General Jeff Sessions entering hearing room

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeff Sessions, Attorney General

"Lastly, I would like to address the false charges made about my previous testimony. My answers have not changed. I have always told the truth, and I have answered every question as I understood them to the best of my recollection as I will continue to do today. I would like to address recent news reports regarding meetings during the campaign attended by George Papadopoulos and Carter Page among others. Frankly, I had no recollection of this meeting until I saw these news reports. I do now recall that the March 2016 meeting at the Trump hotel that Mr. Papadopoulos attended, but I have no clear recollection of the details of what he said at that meeting. After reading his account and to the best of my recollection, I believe that I wanted to make clear to him that he was not authorized to represent the campaign with the Russian government, or any other foreign government for that matter. But I did not recall this event which occurred 18 months before my testimony of a few weeks ago, and I would gladly have reported it had I remembered it because I pushed back against his suggestion that I thought may have been improper. As for Mr. Page, while I do not challenge his recollection, I have no memory of his presence at a dinner at the Capitol Hill Club, or any passing conversation he may have had with me as he left the dinner."

3. Wide of Sessions at witness table

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeff Sessions, Attorney General

"In all of my testimony, I can only do my best to answer your questions as I understand them and to the best of my memory. But I will not accept and reject accusations that I have ever lied. That is a lie! Let me be clear. I have at all times conducted myself honorably, and in a manner consistent with the high standards and responsibilities of the office of attorney general, which I revere. I spent 15 years in that department. I love that department. I honor that department and will do my dead level best to be worthy of your attorney general. As I said before, my story has never changed. I have always told the truth, and I have answered every question to the best of my recollection and will continue to do so today."

5. Wide of Sessions and congressmen at hearing

Attorney General Jeff Sessions strongly disputed allegations that he was not truthful in earlier testimony about Trump campaign contacts with Russian officials. "I will not accept and reject accusations that I have ever lied," he said.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions says that he does not remember speaking to Carter Page during the 2016 presidential campaign about a trip that the former foreign policy campaign adviser took to Russia.

Page told the House intelligence committee earlier this month that he had informed some members of the Trump campaign about the trip, including Sessions. He said he mentioned in passing to Sessions that he was visiting Russia and Sessions had no reaction.

Page's trip has drawn scrutiny in probes of Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign.

Sessions said he doesn't challenge Page's recollection, but doesn't remember the conversation.

He also said he thinks he told former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos that he wasn't authorized to represent the campaign with the Russian government.

Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about foreign contacts. He was part of a foreign policy council that Sessions chaired, and charging documents in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation indicate that Papadopoulos told the council that he could help arrange a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

An attendee at the meeting recalled that Sessions quickly shut the conversation down.

Sessions said that to his recollection, "I believe that I wanted to make clear to him that he was not authorized to represent the campaign with the Russian government, or any other foreign government, for that matter."

POOL

Washington, DC - 14 November 2017

1. Wide of Attorney General Jeff Sessions entering hearing room

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeff Sessions, Attorney General

"Lastly, I would like to address the false charges made about my previous testimony. My answers have not changed. I have always told the truth, and I have answered every question as I understood them to the best of my recollection as I will continue to do today. I would like to address recent news reports regarding meetings during the campaign attended by George Papadopoulos and Carter Page among others. Frankly, I had no recollection of this meeting until I saw these news reports. I do now recall that the March 2016 meeting at the Trump hotel that Mr. Papadopoulos attended, but I have no clear recollection about the details about what he said at that meeting. After reading his account and to the best of my recollection, I believe that I wanted to make clear to him that he was not authorized to represent the campaign with the Russian government, or any other foreign government for that matter. But I did not recall this event which occurred 18 months before testimony of a few weeks ago, and I would gladly have reported it had I remembered it because I pushed back against his suggestion that I thought may have been improper. As for Mr. Page, while I do not challenge his recollection, I have no memory of his presence at a dinner at the Capitol Hill Club, or any passing conversation he had with me as he left the dinner."

3. Wide of Sessions at witness table

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeff Sessions, Attorney General

"In all of my testimony, I can only do my best to answer your questions as I understand them and to the best of my memory. But I will not accept and reject accusations that I have ever lied. That is a lie! Let me be clear. I have at all times conducted myself honorably, and in a manner consistent with the high standards and responsibilities of the office of attorney general, which I revere. I spent 15 years in that department. I love that department. I honor that department and will do my dead level best to be worthy of your attorney general. As I said before, my story has never changed. I have always told the truth, and I have answered every question to the best of my recollection."

5. Wide of Sessions and congressmen at hearing

Attorney General Jeff Sessions strongly disputed allegations that he was not truthful in earlier testimony about Trump campaign contacts with Russian officials. "I will not accept and reject accusations that I have ever lied," he said.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions says that he does not remember speaking to Carter Page during the 2016 presidential campaign about a trip that the former foreign policy campaign adviser took to Russia.

Page told the House intelligence committee earlier this month that he had informed some members of the Trump campaign about the trip, including Sessions. He said he mentioned in passing to Sessions that he was visiting Russia and Sessions had no reaction.

Page's trip has drawn scrutiny in probes of Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign.

Sessions said he doesn't challenge Page's recollection, but doesn't remember the conversation.

He also said he thinks he told former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos that he wasn't authorized to represent the campaign with the Russian government.

Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about foreign contacts. He was part of a foreign policy council that Sessions chaired, and charging documents in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation indicate that Papadopoulos told the council that he could help arrange a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

An attendee at the meeting recalled that Sessions quickly shut the conversation down.

Sessions said that to his recollection, "I believe that I wanted to make clear to him that he was not authorized to represent the campaign with the Russian government, or any other foreign government, for that matter."

POOL

Washington, DC - 14 November 2017

1. Wide of Attorney General Jeff Sessions entering hearing room

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeff Sessions, Attorney General

"Lastly, I would like to address the false charges made about my previous testimony. My answers have not changed. I have always told the truth, and I have answered every question as I understood them to the best of my recollection as I will continue to do today. I would like to address recent news reports regarding meetings during the campaign attended by George Papadopoulos and Carter Page among others. Frankly, I had no recollection of this meeting until I saw these news reports. I do now recall that the March 2016 meeting at the Trump hotel that Mr. Papadopoulos attended, but I have no clear recollection about the details about what he said at that meeting. After reading his account and to the best of my recollection, I believe that I wanted to make clear to him that he was not authorized to represent the campaign with the Russian government, or any other foreign government for that matter. But I did not recall this event which occurred 18 months before testimony of a few weeks ago, and I would gladly have reported it had I remembered it because I pushed back against his suggestion that I thought may have been improper. As for Mr. Page, while I do not challenge his recollection, I have no memory of his presence at a dinner at the Capitol Hill Club, or any passing conversation he had with me as he left the dinner."

3. Wide of Sessions at witness table

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jeff Sessions, Attorney General

"In all of my testimony, I can only do my best to answer your questions as I understand them and to the best of my memory. But I will not accept and reject accusations that I have ever lied. That is a lie! Let me be clear. I have at all times conducted myself honorably, and in a manner consistent with the high standards and responsibilities of the office of attorney general, which I revere. I spent 15 years in that department. I love that department. I honor that department and will do my dead level best to be worthy of your attorney general. As I said before, my story has never changed. I have always told the truth, and I have answered every question to the best of my recollection."

5. Wide of Sessions and congressmen at hearing

House Republicans interviewed James Comey behind closed doors Friday, hauling the former FBI director to Capitol Hill one final time before they cede power to Democrats in January.

In remarks to reporters, Comey said he expected to come back and testify again adding that he thought the hearing should have been open.

"When you read the transcript you will see that we are talking again about Hillary Clinton's emails, for heaven's sake," he said.

House Republicans are questioning Comey on decisions made by the Justice Department during the 2016 presidential election. Democrats will also attend the interview.

Republicans argue that department officials were biased against Donald Trump as they started an investigation into his campaign's ties with Russia and cleared Democrat Hillary Clinton in a separate probe into her email use.

Earlier, Republican lawmakers who stepped outside while the questioning was underway indicated they weren't satisfied and might try to bring him back another day.

POOL

Washington - 7 December 2018

1. Pan, James Comey walks to microphone

2. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, Former FBI Director:

"I was going to try and sneak by you, but I thought you might notice me.  Yeah, I'm coming back.  We have scheduled a date to come back on the 17th.  After a full day of questioning, two things are clear to me.  One we could have done this in open setting and two, when you read the transcript you will see that we are talking again about Hillary Clinton's emails, for heaven's sake. So, I'm not sure we need to do this at all. But I'm trying to respect the institution and to answer questions in a respectful way. You'll see I did that in the transcript.  You'll see that if you get a transcript of my return visit, which I think will be week after next and then this will be over totally.

Reporter: Mr. Comey you served in the Southern District of New York when the new attorney general nominee served as attorney general the last time.  Do you have confidence that he can act with impartiality if he's confirmed to this post?

I like and respect Bill Barr. I know he's an institutionalist who cares deeply about the integrity of the Justice Department. So I'm sure he'll use the standard career resources he has to judge what he should be involved in what he shouldn't be involved in.  But Bill Barr is a is a talented person who was a good attorney general the first time.  I liked him very much then, I think he'll serve the Justice Department well.  And I'm sure he'll talk to the career officials about how to handle that."

Reporter: How extensively have you cooperated with the Mueller investigation at this point?

I can't talk about that. I can't talk about, I mean I could but I won't. I'm sorry.

Reporter: The Republicans came out and said that the government lawyers ran interference and essentially shut down specific lines of questioning.  Did that happen, and if so what topics were not discussed?

One, you read the transcript and I think you will not see that happening.

Reporter: There specific topics that we still feel like you can't discuss from your time as FBI director?  You have been out the door for a year and a half now.  What can't you answer?

Well the FBI, for understandable reasons, doesn't want me talking about the details of the investigation that is still ongoing. It began when I was FBI director, so it makes sense that they don't want me going into those details but that's a very teeny part of what we talked about today.  A whole lot of Hillary Clinton's emails, which will bore you.

Reporter: The next time the hearing will be public? Is there any talk of that?

There wasn't a talk about. I think they want to do it the same way. I wish it were going to be public. But I think we're going to do it the same way again.

Reporter: You said you were OK with the Barr nominations.  Did you have any concerns about the firing of Jeff Sessions and the president continually going after Jeff Sessions for not recusing himself from the Mueller investigation?

The president's attacks on the Justice Department broadly and the FBI are something that no matter what political party you're in you should find deeply troubling and continue to speak out about not become numb to attacks on the rule of law.

Reporter: But with the firing of sessions specifically?

That's not something I can comment on.

Reporter: Director Comey can I ask you a question on FISA abuse, this the major issue for the Republicans. Did you have total confidence in the dossier when you used it to secure a surveillance warrant and also in the subsequent renewals?

I have total confidence that the FISA process was followed and that the entire case was handled in a thoughtful responsible way by DOJ and the FBI. I think the notion that FISA was abused here is nonsense.

Reporter: As a private citizen how do you think Bob Mueller's investigation is going?

As a private citizen, as someone who knows the justice system, I see it proceeding incredibly quickly and very, very professionally. But the most important indication of that is you don't know anything about it except when you file something in court and that's the way it should be.

Reporter: Are you prepared to return next year when Democrats regain control of Congress to testify, perhaps on the questions of obstruction of justice an impeachment case?

I always want to respect the institution of Congress. I'd love it if they didn't want me to testify but if they want me to testify and we can do it in a responsible way I will abide it. So we'll see what happens.

Reporter: "You know anything about Rod Rosenstein wearing a wire? Did that ever come up in any of the discussions when you were there?

I can't comment on that. All right, all. Enjoy your weekend."

3. Pan, Comey walks away

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 7 December 2018

1. Pan, James Comey walks to microphone

2. SOUNDBITE (English) James Comey, Former FBI Director:

"I was going to try and sneak by you, but I thought you might notice me.  Yeah, I'm coming back.  We have scheduled a date to come back on the 17th.  After a full day of questioning, two things are clear to me.  One we could have done this in open setting and two, when you read the transcript you will see that we are talking again about Hillary Clinton's emails, for heaven's sake. So, I'm not sure we need to do this at all. But I'm trying to respect the institution and to answer questions in a respectful way. You'll see I did that in the transcript.  You'll see that if you get a transcript of my return visit, which I think will be week after next and then this will be over totally.

Reporter: Mr. Comey you served in the Southern District of New York when the new attorney general nominee served as attorney general the last time.  Do you have confidence that he can act with impartiality if he's confirmed to this post?

I like and respect Bill Barr. I know he's an institutionalist who cares deeply about the integrity of the Justice Department. So I'm sure he'll use the standard career resources he has to judge what he should be involved in what he shouldn't be involved in.  But Bill Barr is a is a talented person who was a good attorney general the first time.  I liked him very much then, I think he'll serve the Justice Department well.  And I'm sure he'll talk to the career officials about how to handle that."

Reporter: How extensively have you cooperated with the Mueller investigation at this point?

I can't talk about that. I can't talk about, I mean I could but I won't. I'm sorry.

Reporter: The Republicans came out and said that the government lawyers ran interference and essentially shut down specific lines of questioning.  Did that happen, and if so what topics were not discussed?

One, you read the transcript and I think you will not see that happening.

Reporter: There specific topics that we still feel like you can't discuss from your time as FBI director?  You have been out the door for a year and a half now.  What can't you answer?

Well the FBI, for understandable reasons, doesn't want me talking about the details of the investigation that is still ongoing. It began when I was FBI director, so it makes sense that they don't want me going into those details but that's a very teeny part of what we talked about today.  A whole lot of Hillary Clinton's emails, which will bore you.

Reporter: The next time the hearing will be public? Is there any talk of that?

There wasn't a talk about. I think they want to do it the same way. I wish it were going to be public. But I think we're going to do it the same way again.

Reporter: You said you were OK with the Barr nominations.  Did you have any concerns about the firing of Jeff Sessions and the president continually going after Jeff Sessions for not recusing himself from the Mueller investigation?

The president's attacks on the Justice Department broadly and the FBI are something that no matter what political party you're in you should find deeply troubling and continue to speak out about not become numb to attacks on the rule of law.

Reporter: But with the firing of sessions specifically?

That's not something I can comment on.

Reporter: Director Comey can I ask you a question on FISA abuse, this the major issue for the Republicans. Did you have total confidence in the dossier when you used it to secure a surveillance warrant and also in the subsequent renewals?

I have total confidence that the FISA process was followed and that the entire case was handled in a thoughtful responsible way by DOJ and the FBI. I think the notion that FISA was abused here is nonsense.

Reporter: As a private citizen how do you think Bob Mueller's investigation is going?

As a private citizen, as someone who knows the justice system, I see it proceeding incredibly quickly and very, very professionally. But the most important indication of that is you don't know anything about it except when you file something in court and that's the way it should be.

Reporter: Are you prepared to return next year when Democrats regain control of Congress to testify, perhaps on the questions of obstruction of justice an impeachment case?

I always want to respect the institution of Congress. I'd love it if they didn't want me to testify but if they want me to testify and we can do it in a responsible way I will abide it. So we'll see what happens.

Reporter: "You know anything about Rod Rosenstein wearing a wire? Did that ever come up in any of the discussions when you were there?

I can't comment on that. All right, all. Enjoy your weekend."

3. Pan, Comey walks away

STORYLINE:

House Republicans interviewed James Comey behind closed doors Friday, hauling the former FBI director to Capitol Hill one final time before they cede power to Democrats in January.

In remarks to reporters, Comey said he expected to come back and testify again adding that he thought the hearing should have been open.

"When you read the transcript you will see that we are talking again about Hillary Clinton's emails, for heaven's sake," he said.

House Republicans are questioning Comey on decisions made by the Justice Department during the 2016 presidential election. Democrats will also attend the interview.

Republicans argue that department officials were biased against Donald Trump as they started an investigation into his campaign's ties with Russia and cleared Democrat Hillary Clinton in a separate probe into her email use.

Earlier, Republican lawmakers who stepped outside while the questioning was underway indicated they weren't satisfied and might try to bring him back another day.

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