Nancy Pelosi, Democrats call on Jeff Sessions to resign as attorney general

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign Wednesday night after the reported revelation that he was in contact with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 campaign — and denied it under oath to Congress. 

"Sessions is not fit to serve as the top law enforcement officer of our country and must resign," Pelosi said in a statement regarding the head of President Donald Trump's Justice Department. 

"There must be an independent, bipartisan, outside commission to investigate the Trump political, personal and financial connections to the Russians," she said.

Sessions, a former Alabama senator, had been a controversial choice for the nation's chief law enforcement officer long before the revelations of his contacts with Russian officials during the Trump campaign surfaced in the Washington Post Wednesday.

"The previously undisclosed discussions could fuel new congressional calls for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russia's alleged role in the 2016 presidential election," the paper reported. 

The Washington Post article also led other Capitol Hill Democrats to call for Sessions' resignation. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said Sessions' statements during his confirmation were "demonstrably false."

"Attorney General Sessions should resign immediately," Cummings said, "and there is no longer any question that we need a truly independent commission to investigate this issue."

Trump has also faced sharp questions about whether his campaign was in contact with Russia during the campaign, although his team has pushed back against unflattering allegations. 

Sessions did not disclose those discussions during his confirmation hearing, and said he had not had communications with the Russians during the campaign.

March 2, 2017, 10:53 a.m.: This story has been updated.

Correction: March 2, 2017