Sessions Is Interviewed in Mueller’s Russia Investigation

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions was questioned for several hours last week by the special counsel’s office as part of the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the election and whether the president obstructed justice since taking office, according to a Justice Department spokeswoman.

The meeting marked the first time that investigators for the special counsel, Robert Mueller, are known to have interviewed a member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet.

In response to questions from The New York Times, the spokeswoman, Sarah Isgur Flores, confirmed that the interview occurred. Sessions was accompanied by longtime Washington lawyer Chuck Cooper to the interview.

The attorney general announced in March that he had recused himself from all matters related to the 2016 election, including the Russia inquiry. The disclosure came after it was revealed that Sessions had not told Congress that he met twice with the Russian ambassador to the United States at the time, Sergey I. Kislyak, during the campaign.

Sessions, an early supporter of Trump’s presidential run, had been among a small group of senior campaign and administration officials whom Mueller had been expected to interview.

Mueller’s interest in Sessions shows how the president’s own actions helped prompt a broader inquiry. What began as a Justice Department counterintelligence investigation into Russia’s election interference is now also an examination of whether Trump tried to obstruct the inquiry, and the nation’s top law enforcement officer is a witness in the case.

For Mueller, Sessions is a key witness to two of the major issues he is investigating: the campaign’s possible ties to the Russians and whether the president tried to obstruct the Russia investigation.

Mueller can question Sessions about his role as the head of the campaign’s foreign policy team. Sessions was involved in developing Trump’s position toward Russia and met with Russian officials, including the ambassador.

Along with Trump, Sessions led a March 2016 meeting at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, where one of the campaign’s foreign policy advisers, George Papadopoulos, pitched the idea of a personal meeting between Trump and Putin of Russia. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty in October to lying to federal authorities about the nature of his contacts with the Russians and agreed to cooperate with the special counsel’s office.

As attorney general, Sessions was deeply involved in the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, and the president has repeatedly criticized Sessions publicly and privately for recusing himself from the Russia investigation.

When Trump learned in March that Sessions was considering whether to recuse himself, the president had the White House’s top lawyer, Donald F. McGahn II, lobby Sessions to remain in charge of the Russia investigation.

Sessions instead followed the guidance of career prosecutors at the Justice Department, who advised him that he should not be involved with the investigation. When Trump was told of this, the president erupted in anger, saying he needed an attorney general to protect him.

After Mueller was appointed in May, Trump again erupted at Sessions and Sessions offered to resign. Several days later, Trump rejected Sessions’ offer.

Two weeks ago, Mueller subpoenaed Trump’s former chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, to testify before a grand jury. Mueller is expected to forgo the grand jury appearance for now and will have his investigators interview Bannon in the coming weeks.