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WASHINGTON An increasing number of Republicans in Congressare questioning whether Attorney General Jeff Sessionsis fit to oversee an investigation into Russias role in the election.

House Oversight ChairmanJason Chaffetz(R-Utah) led the calls for the former senator to recuse himself on Thursday amid reports that hefailed to disclose conversations he had with the Russian ambassador to the U.S.

Late Wednesday night,The Washington Post reported that Sessions spoke twice last year with the Russian official and didnt tell lawmakers during his January confirmation hearing. Sessions had met with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in his capacity as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, according to Justice Department officials.U.S. investigators have also looked into Sessions communications as part of a larger investigation into possible links between Trumps campaign and the Russian government, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Democratic leaders on both sides of Capitol Hill called on Sessions to resign entirely. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said it would be better for the country.House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Sessions lied under oath.

On Thursday, the calls for Sessions to recuse himself began to trickle in as Republicans doubted he could impartially oversee the Justice Departments probe into Russias interference in the 2016 election.

Chaffetz came out with one of the most direct statementson Thursday.

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) joined in. I think it would be best for him and for the country to recuse himself from the DOJ Russia probe, he said, but added that Sessions was a former colleague and friend.

Conservative Reps. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) and Rep. Ral Labrador (R-Idaho) also called for Sessions to step aside.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said it would just be easierif Sessions stepped aside.I think for the trust of the American people, you recuse yourself in these situations, yes, McCarthy said on Morning Joe. Helater walked back his comments.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said earlier Thursday that its valid to ask why Sessions didnt disclose the conversations.

It is potentially the case that there is going to be Justice Department recommendations or referrals based on anything regarding the campaign [and] that depending on what more we learn about these meetings, it could very well be that the attorney general, in the interest of fairness and in his best interest, should potentially ask someone else to step in and play that role, Rubio said on NPRs Morning Edition. Im not interested in being part of a witch hunt, but I also will not be part of a cover-up.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein(D-Calif.), a ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on Sessions to either recuse himself or resign as attorney general.

However, Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said he trusts Jeff Sessions, adding the attorney general would know when to recuse himself. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the Senate Republican Whip, said it was too prematureto say whether Sessions should step aside, while Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of Intelligence Committee, said, The best I can tell there was no real revelation.

After the report initially broke, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he wasnt going to make a decision based on news articles, but conceded that a special prosecutor may be necessary.

If there is something there, and it goes up the chain of investigation, it is clear to me that Jeff Sessions, who is my dear friend, cannot make this decision about Trump, Graham said during a CNN town hall.

This article has been updated with more details, including comment from Amash, Labrador, Burr, Cornyn and Feinstein.

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Growing Number Of Republicans Call On Jeff Sessions To Step Aside - Huffington Post