When Sessions spoke with Kislyak in July and September, the senator was a senior member of the influential Armed Services Committee as well as one of Trump's top foreign policy advisers. The Russian ambassador did not respond to requests for comment about his contacts with Sessions. Of the 19 lawmakers who responded, every senator, including chairman John McCain, said they did not meet with the Russian ambassador last year. "Members of the committee have not been beating a path to Kislyak's door," a senior Senate Armed Services Committee staffer said, citing tensions in relations with Moscow. Sessions's membership on the Armed Services Committee would have made him a priority for the Russian ambassador.

Source: New Zealand Herald March 02, 2017 02:15 UTC