{"id":2642648,"date":"2026-08-10T13:03:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T17:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-investigated-jeff-sessions-one-week-after-comeys-firing-declassified-records\/"},"modified":"2026-08-10T13:03:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T17:03:35","slug":"fbi-investigated-jeff-sessions-one-week-after-comeys-firing-declassified-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-investigated-jeff-sessions-one-week-after-comeys-firing-declassified-records\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI investigated Jeff Sessions one week after Comey&#8217;s firing: Declassified records"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffbi-investigated-jeff-sessions-one-week-after-comeys-firing-declassified-records%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2642648&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>newly declassified records reveal that the FBI launched an investigation into then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions on May 10, 2017, shortly after President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. The investigation, named \u201cMARCH TOLL,\u201d was initiated due to concerns over Sessions\u2019s false or misleading statements about contacts with Russian officials, specifically during his Senate confirmation hearings.The probe began nearly two months after sessions amended his testimony about meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, which he initially denied but later acknowledged, clarifying that his previous statements referred only to campaign-related contacts.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation originated from a letter by Democratic Senators Patrick Leahy and Al Franken expressing concerns about Sessions\u2019s truthfulness. It was initially based on a March 20 letter questioning Sessions\u2019s statements, with the FBI formally opening the case on May 10, the day after Comey\u2019s dismissal. Notably, Sessions&#8217;s recusal from Russia-related investigations was discussed within the Justice Department in early March, possibly related to the investigation&#8217;s code name, which some speculate references the month of the recusal decision.<\/p>\n<p>Records also show that the investigation into Sessions&#8217; contacts and possibly related issues, including the broader scrutiny of Russia\u2019s role in the 2016 election and the firing of Comey, continued for over a year before being closed in May 2018 without charges. The investigation&#8217;s name and details are linked to discussions about Sessions\u2019s recusal,which was a significant aspect of the broader scrutiny of the Trump management\u2019s connections to Russia.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fbi\/\">FBI<\/a> opened an investigation into then-Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jeff-sessions\/\">Jeff Sessions<\/a> on May 10, 2017, one day after President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> fired then-FBI Director <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/james-comey\/\">James Comey<\/a>, over allegations that Sessions made false statements to Congress about contacts with Russian officials, newly declassified records show.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The investigation began nearly two months after Sessions supplemented his disputed testimony and was initially based on a letter from two Democratic senators. The documents were declassified by Trump and released Monday by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/white-house\/\">White House<\/a> Government Transparency Task Force, with <em>Just the News<\/em> founder John Solomon briefing the public on their contents.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4680837\/fbi-investigated-then-attorney-general-jeff-sessions-one-day-after-comey-firing-declassified-documents\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>FBI investigated then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions one day after Comey\u2019s firing, declassified documents show<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4680504\/bill-cassidy-vote-todd-blanche-attorney-general\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Sen. Bill Cassidy defends \u2018gradation of gray\u2019 decision to back Blanche as attorney general<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4679435\/religious-liberty-trump-biden\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Two visions of religious liberty: How Trump and Biden defined a foundational right<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">Attorney General Jeff Sessions pauses while speaking on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, as he testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing about his role in the firing of James Comey, his Russian contacts during the campaign and his decision to recuse from an investigation into possible ties between Moscow and associates of President Donald Trump. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP17164815631466.webp?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attorney General Jeff Sessions pauses while speaking on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, June 13, 2017, as he testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing about his role in the firing of James Comey, his Russian contacts during the campaign and his decision to recuse from an investigation into possible ties between Moscow and associates of President Donald Trump. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Code-named \u201cMARCH TOLL,\u201d the investigation was opened by the FBI\u2019s Washington Field Office at the direction of bureau headquarters. Its initial predicate was a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/ktla.com\/news\/politics\/comey-had-been-asked-by-senators-to-investigate-ag-sessions-for-possible-perjury\/\">March 20 letter<\/a> from former Democratic Sens. Patrick Leahy (VT) and Al Franken (MN), raising concerns about Sessions\u2019s confirmation testimony.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, it was not reported until this week that the FBI actually started the process of opening an investigation into Sessions, which took an entire year to be formally withdrawn.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sessions <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=EUbipBuuRY8\">told lawmakers in January 2017<\/a> that he \u201cdid not have communication with the Russians\u201d after Franken asked whether Trump campaign associates had communicated with the Russian government. Reports later disclosed that Sessions, then a U.S. senator, had met twice with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sessions supplemented his testimony on March 6, acknowledging the meetings but maintaining that his original answer was truthful because Franken had asked about campaign-related exchanges rather than contacts Sessions had as a senator.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI did not mention communications I had had with the Russian Ambassador over the years because the question did not ask about them,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/nation-world\/nation-politics\/attorney-general-clarifies-testimony-on-russian-contacts\/\">Sessions wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leahy and Franken remained dissatisfied, telling Comey they were concerned by Sessions\u2019s \u201clack of candor\u201d and testimony that \u201ccould be construed as perjury.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FBI records show Comey notified then-Deputy Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rod-rosenstein\/\">Rod Rosenstein<\/a> on April 28 that a case would be opened. The bureau opened it on May 10, the day after Comey\u2019s firing, though Sessions\u2019s supplemental testimony was notably not added to the investigative file until May 23.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The code name MARCH TOLL has also <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TheLastRefuge2\/status\/2086796676199555304\/photo\/2\">drawn attention online<\/a> because Sessions\u2019s recusal from matters involving the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2016-elections\/\">2016 presidential campaign<\/a> was discussed within the Justice Department in early March, though it is unclear as to the exact reason for the code name.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jeff Clark, a former senior DOJ attorney during Trump\u2019s first term, speculated on X Monday that his \u201crunning theory\u201d for the name behind the investigation is that \u201cthat is a reference to the month when Sessions decided to recuse.\u201d Sessions recused himself from the criminal investigation into allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, which were ultimately fully debunked by a special counsel investigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One clue could exist within the details of a March 2, 2017, schedule, which identified former DOJ lawyers James Crowell and Tashina \u201cTash\u201d Gauhar among those attending a one-hour <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensforethics.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/legacy\/2017\/07\/DOJ-Production-7-7-17.pdf\">\u201cdiscussion on recusal issues\u201d<\/a> in the attorney general\u2019s conference room. The available records do not explicitly establish that the meeting inspired the investigation\u2019s code name, though Sessions would go on to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/archives\/opa\/pr\/attorney-general-sessions-statement-recusal\">recuse himself from all future investigations<\/a> related to the 2016 election that day.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4676005\/oxferd-comma-investigation-declassified-john-solomon-briefing\/\">\u2018OXFERD COMMA\u2019 INVESTIGATION BEING DECLASSIFIED BY WHITE HOUSE, WITH JOHN SOLOMON BRIEFING<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Crowell and Gauhar\u2019s names would later reappear in records concerning <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4676005\/oxferd-comma-investigation-declassified-john-solomon-briefing\/\">\u201cOxferd Comma,\u201d<\/a> another FBI investigation opened on May 16 around the time of Comey\u2019s firing, which more specifically fixated on whether Trump acted on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/russia\/\">Russia\u2019s<\/a> behalf when he dismissed Comey. Both lawyers were also involved in deliberations surrounding the appointment of special counsel <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/robert-mueller\/\">Robert Mueller<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mueller\u2019s office ultimately concluded it could not prove that Sessions had been \u201cwillfully untruthful\u201d and agreed the investigation should be closed. The FBI formally closed MARCH TOLL on May 8, 2018, without filing charges.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FBI probed Jeff Sessions after Comey&#8217;s firing, records show<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2642649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21162566850360.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[23264,50645,83923],"class_list":["post-2642648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-comey","tag-fbi-2","tag-jeff-sessions"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21162566850360.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2642648"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2642651,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642648\/revisions\/2642651"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2642649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2642648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2642648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2642648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}