I think effective enforcement of our gun laws focusing on criminals and dangerous people, mentally ill people --

CFIUS is not able to be effective enough. Your legislation is first rate. We think it has great potential to push back against the abuses and dangers we face.

If you are the focus of an investigation, you better think hard and twice with legal council when you're going to pick up the phone and influence people who are running that investigation.

when jurisdictions choose to return criminal aliens to the streets rather than turning them over to federal immigration authorities, they put the public safety at risk. San Francisco's decision to protect criminal aliens led to the…

When jurisdictions choose to turn criminal aliens to the streets rather than turning them over to federal immigration authorities, they put public's safety at risk. San Francisco's decision to protect criminal aliens led to the preventable…

Jeff Sessions says, I have no reason to doubt these young women.

What I ask you is, is Ambassador Kislyak in the room? Before I get started here. Any Russians?

We will absolutely, resolutely defend the right of all Americans to vote, including our African American brothers and sisters.

I have no--I have no knowledge of any such conversations by anyone connected to the Trump campaign.

I think it's time for us to take seriously the erosion it seems of the fundamental respect for the right of people to express differing views that's occurring today.

This Department will not unlawfully target people.

I believe we had within the last year or so four police officers killed by a group that some have described as extremists.

The First Amendment allows the free exercise of religion. It doesn't just allow you to think what you want to think, to meet in a closet somewhere and never express yourself.

I believe we are bound by that.

I would say that it's -- the Department Of Justice can never be used to retaliate politically against opponents and that would be wrong.

I do now recall that the March 2016 meeting at the Trump Hotel that Mr. Papadopoulos attended. But I have no clear recollection of the details of what he said at that meeting.

I did not meet with the Russians was explicitly responding to the shocking suggestion...

I did not, and I'm not aware of anyone else that I did. And I don't believe it happened.

I will not accept and reject accusations that I have ever lied. That is a lie.

I would like to address recent news reports regarding meetings during the campaign attended by George Papadopoulos and Carter Page among others. Frankly, I had no recollection of this meeting until I saw these news reports.

Well, if I read what's been said about the Papadopoulos meeting, ... I pushed back at his trip and was concerned that he not go off somewhere pretending to represent the Trump campaign.

Probably not. We're not. And the matter is so complex that for most of us, we are not able to grasp the technical dangers that are out there.

We will do our duty.

I am prepared to say I did.

The answer is I met with the Ambassador in my office for less than an hour, I believe.