Justice dept sessions recused from probe due to campaign

You're referring to the controversy surrounding Attorney General Jeff Sessions' recusal from the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

In March 2017, Sessions, who was a key advisor to then-candidate Donald Trump during the campaign, was confirmed as the Attorney General of the United States. However, he was forced to recuse himself from any investigations related to the 2016 election, including the probe into Russian interference, due to his involvement in the campaign.

The controversy arose because Sessions had testified under oath during his confirmation hearing that he had not had any contacts with Russian officials during the campaign. However, it was later revealed that Sessions had met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak twice during the campaign, which he had not disclosed during his testimony.

As a result, Sessions was forced to recuse himself from the investigation, which was led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein took over the investigation, and Sessions' recusal was seen as a necessary step to maintain the independence and integrity of the investigation.

Sessions' recusal was widely criticized by Democrats, who argued that he had lied under oath and should have been fired. Republicans, on the other hand, defended Sessions' decision, arguing that he had done the right thing by recusing himself to avoid any appearance of bias.

The controversy surrounding Sessions' recusal has continued to unfold, with some arguing that it was a necessary step to protect the integrity of the investigation, while others have criticized it as a political move to shield Sessions from accountability.