Update at 11:34 a.m. ET: The Senate Intelligence Committee and the Department of Justice announced Monday morning that Sessions will testify in an open hearing Tuesday afternoon.
Sen. Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Monday morning said that Attorney General Jeff Sessions should testify before the panel in an open setting.
“My inclination is that this should be in an open session,” he said on CBS “This Morning.” “The only reason you go into a close session is if it’s a national security, and I don’t believe we’re talking about national security issues here.”
Sessions has offered to testify before the committee on Tuesday, but it’s not clear whether he will speak to the committee in an open hearing or behind closed doors. Some senators on the committee are concerned that the attorney general is trying to avoid public testimony, CNN reported Sunday night.
King said that it’s important for Sessions to share what he knows in public.
“The American people need to understand this issue,” he said.
King added that he would like to ask Sessions about any meetings he had with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign and about his role in the firing of James Comey as FBI director.
