'Any Russians? Anybody been to Russia?': Jeff Sessions jokes to crowd during speech

Carolyn Kaster/AP

Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks at the Federalist Society 2017 National Lawyers Convention at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, Nov. 17, 2017.

• Attorney General Jeff Sessions cracked a few jokes at his own expense.
• Sessions quipped to a crowd on Friday: "Is Ambassador Kislyak in the room? Before I get started here, any Russians?"
• Sessions has been criticized for not fully disclosing his contacts with Russia during President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions cracked a few jokes to a crowd and referenced the ongoing Russia probe that has loomed over President Donald Trump's first year in office during a speech to the Federalist Society in Washington on Friday.

"Is Ambassador Kislyak in the room," Sessions quipped to the audience. "Before I get started here, any Russians?"

"Anybody been to Russia," Sessions continued, as the crowd erupted in laughter. "Got a cousin in Russia or something."

Sessions' joke comes days after he was grilled by lawmakers during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday. During the testimony, he addressed previous statements he made earlier this year regarding his recollection of contacts between members of the Trump campaign and Russian officials.

Sessions recused himself from the federal investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 US presidential election, which focuses in part on whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin.

It was previously discovered that Sessons had at least two talks with former Russian ambassador Sergei Kislyak during the 2016 election cycle. Lawmakers have criticized Sessions, who testified during his confirmation hearing in January that he had no communication with Russian officials during the campaign.

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