DHAKA: Attorney General Jeff Sessions met Russia's ambassador during Donald Trump's presidential campaign, despite telling his confirmation hearing he had “no communications with the Russians”.

The justice department confirmed he met Sergei Kislyak in July and September last year as part of his role on the Senate Armed Services Committee, reports the BBC.

Sessions on Wednesday (March 1) said his comments at his confirmation related to his role on the Trump campaign team.

Democrats accused him of lying on oath.

They said he must resign, and also called on him to step aside from an investigation by the FBI - which he oversees as attorney general - into alleged Russian interference in the US election, including contacts between Russian officials and those involved in campaigning.

The US intelligence community has concluded that alleged Russian hacking of Democratic organisations was carried out to help Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump's National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, was fired last month after he misled the White House about his conversations with the Russian ambassador, allegedly regarding sanctions against Moscow.

As reported in the Washington Post and confirmed by the justice department, Sessions met Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee twice last year.

The Post reports that they held a private conversation in Sessions's office in September and had spoken earlier in the summer at a meeting with several other ambassadors.

Sessions had meetings with more than 25 foreign ambassadors in the course of the year.

But his meetings with Mr Kislyak came while he was a prominent part of Mr Trump's campaign team - a so-called surrogate - and amid growing reports of Russian meddling in the US election.

BDST: 1700 HRS, MAR 2, 2017
AP