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In 'Russia-gate', Trump declares 'total' support for embattled AG

US President Donald Trump says that he has "total" confidence in attorney general Jeff Sessions, despite opposition urgings for the justice official's resignation after revelations of meetings last year with the Russian ambassador.

The president said he did not think Sessions should recuse himself from the Justice Department's decisions on investigations of Russian Internet hacking against the Democratic Party and Moscow's contacts with Trump's campaign.

Trump said Sessions, who denied under oath in a January confirmation hearing having had contacts with Russia during the election campaign, "probably did" testify truthfully.

Trump said he had no knowledge of Sessions' apparent meetings with the ambassador: "I wasn't aware at all."

Sessions yesterday said he would not involve himself in any Justice Department investigations of alleged contact between Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government.

Questions about contacts have already cost one Trump aide his job and Democrats were calling for Sessions to resign as well.

The road so far

A timeline of what we know about Russian involvement in the election and contacts between Trump allies and Moscow:

June 2016: Hacking of emails and other internal documents from Democratic Party organs is first reported.

July 19, 2016: Sessions, the first US senator to support political novice Trump's right-wing populist presidential bid, places the New York real estate tycoon's name into nomination at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. He calls Trump "a warrior and a winner."

Oct 7, 2016: US Homeland Security Department declares it is "confident" that the Russian government "directed" hacking of political organization "to interfere with the US election process."

Nov 8, 2016: Trump scores unexpected general election win.

Nov 17, 2016: Retired US Army general Michael Flynn, former head of the Defence Intelligence Agency, named by Trump to be national security advisor. The White House post does not require Senate confirmation.

Nov 18, 2016: Trump names Session to be attorney-general, requiring Senate confirmation.

Dec 29, 2016: Then-president Barack Obama expels 35 Russian diplomats and orders sanctions on Russian intelligence services over what Washington alleges were Moscow's "cyber operations aimed at the US election." The Russian government rejects the allegations and calls the sanctions "groundless and illegal."

Dec 29, 2016: Flynn telephones with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak. Later leaks from routine FBI wiretapping of Kislyak reportedly show they discussed lifting sanctions on Moscow.

Jan 10: Senator Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, asks Sessions in a confirmation hearing: "If there is any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of this campaign, what will you do?"

"I'm not aware of any of those activities," Sessions said, noting his support for Trump's campaign. "I did not have communications with the Russians."

Jan 11: President-elect Trump concedes that hacking of Democratic Party officials during the presidential race was committed by Russia: "I think it was Russia, but think we also get hacked by other countries."

Jan 20: Trump sworn into office as 45th US president.

Feb 13: National security adviser Michael Flynn resigns after just 25 days. He admits to "inadvertently" giving then vice president-elect Mike Pence and others "incomplete information" about his Dec 29 communication with the Russian ambassador.

March 1: A Justice Department spokeswoman confirms media reports that Sessions met with the Russian ambassador, describing it as part of his role at the time as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

March 2: Sessions announces his recusal from Justice Department decisions on investigations related to 2016 presidential election campaigns. Democratic leaders in Congress urge Sessions to resign.

- dpa

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