U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the investigation into Russian interference in last year's presidential election as Democratic lawmakers pressured him to resign amid revelations that he lied about speaking with a Russian ambassador during the presidential campaign.
Sessions announced his decision Thursday afternoon during a news conference.
In a statement released during the news conference, Sessions denied any wrongdoing.
"During the course of the last several weeks, I have met with the relevant senior career department officials to discuss whether I should recuse myself from any matters arising from the campaigns for president of the United States," he said.
"Having concluded those meetings today, I have decided to recuse myself from any existing or future investigations of any matters related in any way to the campaigns for president."
He emphasized that his decision was not meant to serve as confirmation that such an investigation exists.
He said he didn't lie when he testified during his confirmation hearing that he had no interaction with Russians during the 2016 election campaign and continued to draw a distinction between his conversations with the Russian ambassador in his role as a senator and his role in the Trump campaign.
Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente will handle any matters related to the investigation.
Sessions talked twice with Russia's ambassador to the United States during the presidential campaign, the Justice Department confirmed Wednesday, a seeming contradiction to sworn statements that Sessions gave to Congress.
>> Related: Where do members of Congress stand on Jeff Sessions?
The revelation spurred growing calls from both parties in Congress for him to recuse himself from an investigation into Russian interference in the U.S. election. More than 100 Democratic lawmakers had called for Sessions’ resignation by Thursday afternoon.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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