"We've been presented with no evidence:" Speaker Paul Ryan, Senator Ron Johnson defend AG Jeff Sessions

MILWAUKEE -- Lawmakers were clamoring for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. That includes many Democrats and some Republicans. So where did House Speaker Paul Ryan stand?

Paul Ryan

Before Sessions made his decision to recuse himself public during a news conference on Thursday, March 2nd, Speaker Ryan and U.S. Senator Ron Johnson both were defending him, saying there was no need for Sessions to recuse himself.

"If he himself is the subject of an investigation, of course he would. But if he's not, I don't see any purpose or reason to doing this," said Speaker Ryan.

Speaker Ryan said it was clear to him that Russia tried to meddle in the election, but there's no evidence President Donald Trump's campaign was involved.

Jeff Sessions

Other lawmakers were more concerned, saying Sessions was untruthful when he said this during his confirmation hearing in January:

"I have been called a surrogate a time or two in that campaign... and I did not have communications with the Russians," said Sessions.

Democrats Tammy Baldwin and Gwen Moore, slammed Sessions in separate statements.

During a telephone town hall, Republican Ron Johnson said that would be premature.

Ron Johnson

"I don't think we need to jump to any conclusions right now, and I really do trust Attorney General Sessions to make the right call in terms of his own involvement," said Johnson.

Speaker Ryan said members of Congress like Sessions -- who was a senator last year -- meet with foreign ambassadors all the time.

"We've been presented with no evidence that an American was colluding with the Russians to meddle in the election," Speaker Ryan said.

Jeff Sessions

It's important to note, Sessions did not resign. He just recused himself from investigations involving President Trump's campaign.

Sessions, who was a President Trump surrogate on the campaign trail, says that he never discussed the presidential campaign with the Russian ambassador.