At that time, Sessions amended his earlier comments to say they had met, but had not discussed the Trump campaign in their meetings, and he recused himself from any investigations into Russian interference in the election.

The Post quotes one U.S. official as saying Sessions has provided “misleading” statements that are “contradicted by other evidence.” A former official told the Post that the two men had “substantive” discussions, including Trump’s positions on issues affecting Russia and what U.S.-Russia relations would look like under a Trump administration.

Post report

The Post reported that “current and former U.S. officials” say Sessions’ answers differ from those given by Kislyak to his bosses. Those officials emphasized that the Russian ambassador could have purposely misspoken if he suspected U.S. agents were monitoring his communications.

Contacted for comment, Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement: “Obviously I cannot comment on the reliability of what anonymous sources describe in a wholly uncorroborated intelligence intercept that The Washington Post has not seen and that has not been provided to me.”

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, who is attending the Aspen Security Conference in Colorado, was questioned about the Post story late Friday. He said, “I saw the headline. … I have come to the point where I no longer put any stock in headlines or breaking news.”

Kislyak and Flynn

Ambassador Kislyak was a factor in the downfall of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn left his job in February after news reports revealed that he had had conversations with Kislyak about U.S. policy toward Russia. He had said publicly that no such conversations took place.

But the information about Flynn’s conversations with Kislyak was based on recordings of phone conversations made by U.S. intelligence agents, giving them proof of what the men talked about. In Sessions’ case, the reports are based only on Kislyak’s accounts of what was said.

Earlier this week President Trump gave an interview to The New York Times in which he expressed frustration with Sessions for recusing himself from Russia investigations. He also said Sessions gave “bad answers” about his contacts with Russian officials during his confirmation hearing. The comments have fueled speculation that Sessions may be asked to resign.

On Saturday, Trump raised further questions about Sessions’ work as attorney general, asking why he had not looked into dealings between associates of failed Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and the Russian government and former FBI director James Comey’s leaking of his notes.