Top Cop In Nation Says He believes Women in Roy Moore Case

Attorney General Jeff Sessions testified on Capitol Hill Tuesday and faced a number of questions from congressional investigators.

On Roy Moore Senate Candidacy

Among other things, the former Alabama senator was asked by members of the House Judiciary Committee what he thinks about the sexual misconduct allegations against Alabama Republican Roy Moore, who is running to replace Sessions' Senate seat.

Sessions, the nation's top law-enforcement officer, said in testimony before Congress that he has no reason to doubt five women who have accused Moore of misconduct when they were in their teens.

At the same time, the House of Representatives' top Republican, Speaker Paul Ryan, said he believes Moore's accusers and that Moore should leave the race.

70-year-old Moore, who is running for the Senate seat Sessions vacated when he joined President Donald Trump's administration, has denied the allegations and has suggested that establishment Republicans are working in tandem with news media to discredit him.

Testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, Sessions would not otherwise comment on the campaign.

"We will evaluate every case as to whether or not it should be investigated," Sessions replied. "This kind of case would normally be a state case."

Russia Connection to Trump Campaign

Sessions was also asked by members of the House Judiciary Committee about what he knew regarding the alleged Russian contacts' involvement with the Trump campaign.

Sessions maintained that he has "always told the truth," refuting reports that he may have lied about meetings with Trump campaign officials.

"I do now recall the March 2016 meeting at Trump Hotel that Mr. Papadopoulos attended, but I have no clear recollection of the details of what he said during that meeting," Sessions said. "After reading his account, and to the best of my recollection, I believe that I wanted to make clear to him that he was not authorized to represent the campaign with the Russian government, or any other foreign government for that matter.

Sessions added that the event took place over 18 months before his first testimony.

As CBN News reported, Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to making false statements as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling.

"All of you have been in a campaign," Sessions told lawmakers. "But most of you have not participated in a presidential campaign. And none of you had a part in the Trump campaign," Sessions said.  "It was a brilliant campaign in many ways. But it was a form of chaos every day from day one. We traveled all the time, sometimes to several places in one day.  Sleep was in short supply."

Sessions said that in all of his testimony, he could only do his "best" to answer all of the questions as he "understands them" and to the best of his memory.

"But I will not accept and reject accusations that I have ever lied under oath. That is a lie," Sessions said.

On Former Secretary Hillary Clinton Probe

Sessions didn't bite Tuesday on Republicans clamoring for the Department of Justice to appoint a special counsel to investigate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

When asked by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on why it had taken the Justice Department months to consider a special counsel to probe into a connection to Clinton, Sessions responded: "'Looks like' is not enough basis to appoint a special counsel."

A Department of Justice spokesman said to members of the media, "The Attorney General was clarifying the legal basis for appointing special counsel — not passing judgment on whether it applied in any specific investigation."

And Sessions, too, later clarified his comments. "I did not mean to suggest I was talking a side one way or the other on that subject," he said.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly tweeted that the Department of Justice needs to launch further probes of Clinton, his rival in the 2016 election.

"I want you all to know that if a special counsel is required I, or I'm sure anyone else in the department that had the responsibility, would name one," Sessions said.

Sessions, who has recused himself from any matters connected to Clinton or the 2016 presidential campaign, also told the committee it would be inappropriate for the president to direct him to target a political rival.

"I have not been improperly influenced and would not be improperly influenced" by Trump, he said.