Top Democrats are calling on US Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign after The Washington Post reported that Mr. Sessions failed to disclose two meetings with the Russian ambassador during his confirmation hearings. 

The Washington Post reported that AG Sessions spoke twice last year with Russia's ambassador to the United States, when he was a Senator on the Armed Services Committee and a top media surrogate for Donald Trump's presidential campaign; but he didn't happen to mention these contacts during his January confirmation hearing for Attorney General.  The Justice Department late Wednesday night issued a statement claiming that Sessions didn't mention the meetings because he was questioned about his actions as a Trump surrogate, and the meetings were held under the context of his position on the Armed Services Committee.

But The Washington Post noted that no other member of that committee could recall speaking to the Russian ambassador.  And Congressional Democrats aren't buying Sessions' attempt to parse his way out of it.

"Now, after lying under oath to Congress about his own communications with the Russians, the Attorney General must resign," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.  "Sessions is not fit to serve as the top law enforcement officer of our country and must resign.  There must be an independent, bipartisan, outside commission to investigate the Trump political, personal and financial connections to the Russians."

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said the new developments are a "very real and serious threat to the national security of the United States."

"We need a special prosecutor totally independent of the Attorney General," said Senator Warren.  "We need a real, bipartisan, transparent Congressional investigation into Russia.  And we need Attorney General Jeff Sessions - who should have never been confirmed in the first place - to resign.  We need it now."

Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan said that in light of the revelations from the Washington Post, Sessions' testimony in January was "at best intentionally misleading and at worst perjury".

Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported that federal investigators are examining Sessions' communications with the Russians as part of a broader investigation into links between Trump's campaign and the Kremlin.