Carter Page, a former foreign policy adviser to President Trump’s campaign, told House investigators that he informed Attorney General Jeff Sessions about his trip to Russia during the campaign, according to a new report.
CNN reports that Page testified that he told Sessions, then an Alabama senator and Trump campaign adviser, about his trip to Russia, which happened in July 2016.
“Back in June 2016, I mentioned in passing that I happened to be planning to give a speech at a university in Moscow,” Page told CNN. “Completely unrelated to my limited volunteer role with the campaign and as I’ve done dozens of times throughout my life. “
{mosads}“Understandably, it was as irrelevant then as it is now. If it weren’t for the dodgy dossier and all the chaos that those complete lies had created, my passing comment’s complete lack of relevance should go without saying,” he continued.
A source told CNN that Page told Sessions about the trip at a dinner in June 2016. The dinner was attended by several members of Trump’s national security team, according to CNN.
In testimony before the Senate in June, Sessions said he did not “recall” any meetings between campaign associates and Russian officials. Page was one of the officials Sessions was asked about.
While he said he knew of no meetings between Page and Russians, he added, “There might be some published accounts of Mr. Page communicating with Russians, I don’t know.”
Sessions also said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last month that he was unaware of any Trump campaign surrogates communicating with Russians.
“I did not [have contact with Russians] and I’m not aware of anyone else that did, and I don’t believe it happened,” Sessions said.
Senate Democrats called Thursday for Sessions to return before the Judiciary Committee and testify to find out why Sessions did not previously disclose a March 2016 meeting where George Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser, offered to use his contacts to set up a meeting between the GOP presidential candidate and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Page spoke with House Intelligence Committee members for nearly eight hours on Thursday. Afterwards, Rep. Mike Conway (R-Texas) said Page was “fulsome” in answering the committee’s questions.