A group of 23 plaintiffs in five states sent the Department of Justice a complaint claiming Attorney General Jeff Sessions committed perjury during his confirmation hearings and subsequently trying to conceal false statements.
The complaint includes counts of perjury, making false statements and concealing them, and obstruction of justice, and demands an investigation from the Department of Justice.
Sessions, who was a surrogate for Trump during his candidacy, came under fire after the Washington Post reported March 1 that, contrary to what he had claimed during his confirmation hearings, he had actually spoken twice with the Russian ambassador to the United States. Sessions ultimately recused himself from the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“During the course of the Presidential campaign in 2016, the Russian government acted to covertly undermine and subvert the United States’ democratic elections,” the complaint states. “It is of vital importance to the integrity of our democracy that the Department of Justice investigate and properly respond to evidence described in this complaint because it relates to these subversive activities and to the proper functioning of our democracy.”
The complaint goes on to argue that “no one in the United States, including Sessions, is above the law.”
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.