--- description: Attorney General Jeff Sessions joked about his alleged ties to Russia and Ambassador Kislyak at the Federalist Society Conference title: Jeff Sessions Joked About His Alleged Ties to Russia image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte7a257c03799ba44/6988e66c4ee262364530fd78/jeff-sessions-russia-jokes.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [russia](/tag/russia/) ## russia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 'Is Ambassador Kislyak in the Room?' Jeff Sessions Jokes About Russia Ties During Conference  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Nov 18, 2017 8:06 PM CUT  U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks at the Federalist Society on Nov. 17, 2017 in Washington, D.C. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks at the Federalist Society on Nov. 17, 2017 in Washington, D.C.Alex Wong—Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Nov 18, 2017 8:06 PM CUT Attorney General Jeff Sessions made light of his alleged ties to Russia at the conservative Federalist Society’s National Lawyers convention. “Is Ambassador Kislyak in the room?” [_the Hill_ reports](http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/360935-sessions-jokes-in-speech-to-conservative-group-anybody-been-to-russia "undefined") Sessions asked the crowd, prompting enthusiastic cheers and applause. “Before I get started here. Any Russians? Anybody been to Russia? Got a cousin in Russia or something?” The jokes were not part of Sessions’ prepared remarks, according to _the Hill_. Sessions has been a key character in the ongoing investigation into possible collusion between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russian officials — an investigation he [recused himself from under pressure earlier this year](http://time.com/4689492/jeff-sessions-russia-recuse/ "undefined"). Sessions has repeatedly said he had no improper contact with Russian officials, although [news reports have shown that he met with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/sessions-spoke-twice-with-russian-ambassador-during-trumps-presidential-campaign-justice-officials-say/2017/03/01/77205eda-feac-11e6-99b4-9e613afeb09f%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.7773944a3e58 "undefined") at least twice in 2016. As recently as Tuesday, [Democrats questioned Sessions about whether he lied](http://time.com/5022929/democrats-jeff-sessions-trump-russia-meetings/ "undefined") about communications between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. The Federalist Society, where Sessions spoke on Friday, is a group of conservatives and libertarians interested in “reordering priorities within the legal system to place a premium on individual liberty, traditional values, and the rule of law,” [according to the organization’s website](https://fedsoc.org/about-us "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5030772/jeff-sessions-russia-jokes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5030772/jeff-sessions-russia-jokes/"},"headline":"'Is Ambassador Kislyak in the Room?' 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Pruitt Speak At The Federalist Society 2017 National Lawyers Convention","caption":"Attorney General Sessions And EPA Admin. 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