Jeff Sessions Interviewed as Part of Robert Mueller's Russia Investigation

Robert Mueller’s team interviewed Attorney General Sessions last week as part of its investigation, the Justice Department confirmed to TIME.

Justice Department spokesperson Sarah Isgur Flores said the special counsel’s office had interviewed Sessions in a story first reported by the New York Times. He was questioned for “several hours,” the Times reports, in the investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. election and whether President Donald Trump has obstructed justice.

Sessions was top surrogate for Trump during the campaign, and once he became Attorney General, he recused himself from election issues, including the Russia investigation. The recusal came after revelations that he had misled Congress during his confirmation hearing about the fact that he had met twice with the Russian ambassador during the campaign.

This marks the first known time that Mueller’s team has interviewed a member of Trump’s Cabinet. The investigation has already brought charges against four people in Trump’s orbit, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former campaign operative Paul Manafort.

Former White House strategist Steve Bannon has also agreed to be interviewed by Mueller’s team, CNN reported.

Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.Rogers@time.com.