The walls are closing in on Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Wednesday night’s news that Sessions met twice last year with Sergey Kislyak, Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., but didn’t mention it when senators asked him about contacts between the Russian government and the Trump campaign, has Democrats and non-partisan groups – including Causa común – demanding Sessions’ resignation.

Republicans are being more cautious, but several GOP leaders say Sessions should recuse himself from any investigation of Russian connections to the Trump campaign.

“It is clear to me that Jeff Sessions, who is my dear friend, cannot make this decision about Trump,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, said Wednesday evening.

On MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” today, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy grudgingly joined in calls for Sessions’ recusal. “I don’t have all the information in front of me,” he said. “I don’t want to prejudge, but I just think for any investigation going forward, you want to make sure everybody trusts the investigation. I think it’d be easier from that standpoint.”

“The top cop in this country, the attorney general, lied to his colleagues and to the American people, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi declared at a late morning news conference. She and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer urged Sessions to step down.

“Stories are shifting like quicksand,” Schumer said. Sorting them out and getting to the truth about the Trump campaign and Russian interference in the election requires “an independent, impartial special prosecutor with no attachment to this administration.”

Sessions told reporters he would recuse himself “whenever it’s appropriate” but insisted he has never had contact with the Russians “about any political campaign.”

Amid the uproar, President Trump – uncharacteristically – is keeping his own counsel. He and Sessions have become close friends; the Alabamian was the first senator to endorse Trump’s candidacy and along with presidential counselor Steve Bannon is widely viewed as an architect of Trump’s policy agenda.

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