Leahy and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., are calling for the former Alabama senator to return to the committee, saying he hasn’t been honest.
Their call comes the day before Sessions is due to testify before the House Judiciary Committee.
Court documents unsealed this month in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation suggest Sessions was aware of contact between members of President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Russians.
Sessions was apparently at a campaign meeting in March 2016 with Trump, campaign adviser George Papadopoulos and others where there was discussion of setting up a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying about his communications with Russian-tied individuals regarding information about Hillary Clinton.
Leahy and Franken have both pressed Sessions on his contacts with Russians during the election, when he was an adviser for the Trump campaign.
Sessions said during his confirmation hearing in January that he had no contact with Russian operatives during the election, but media reports later revealed he had met with the country’s ambassador three times during the course of the campaign.
He fielded more questions when he appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee last month and denied misleading the committee.
“The truth has a nasty habit of catching up with Attorney General Sessions,” Franken said on the Senate floor Monday afternoon.
Franken said he expects Sessions will be asked about contact with Russia when he testifies Tuesday before the House panel, and he hopes the attorney general will “answer those questions honestly.”
“In light of his misrepresentations to members of this body, Attorney General Sessions has an obligation to return to the Senate and explain himself,” Franken said.
Leahy said there is “irrefutable” evidence that Russia attempted to interfere with the 2016 election.
Leahy said he was not accusing Sessions of colluding with Russia, but asserted there is a pressing need for transparency to better understand Russian efforts at meddling.
“What is clear is that the Kremlin was testing the water and the people in the Trump campaign, including then-Sen. Sessions. It is equally clear that the attorney general concealed his own contacts with Russian officials,” Leahy said.
“He failed to correct the record even when given multiple opportunities to do so,” Leahy continued. “This wasn’t just a little slip somewhere along the line. He’s had several opportunities to correct it.”
The Department of Justice did not return a request for comment Monday.
