--- title: "FBI probed Jeff Sessions in 2017 after Democrat senators' request" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/fbi-probed-jeff-sessions-in-2017-after-democrat-senators-request" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/fbi-probed-jeff-sessions-in-2017-after-democrat-senators-request" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/fbi-probed-jeff-sessions-in-2017-after-democrat-senators-request.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/fbi-probed-jeff-sessions-in-2017-after-democrat-senators-request" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-11T03:46:12.118Z" source_reported: "2026-08-11T00:22:20.000Z" updated: "2026-08-11T03:46:12.118Z" trust_score: 62 critic_score: 51 hype_score: 41 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-11T03:26:12.153Z" --- # FBI probed Jeff Sessions in 2017 after Democrat senators' request *Declassified documents show the investigation was based on a letter from Patrick Leahy and Al Franken and a liberal news article* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 62 of 100, higher is better. Corroborated by multiple digests. - Craft 51 of 100, higher is better. Lacks direct quotes from key figures. - Hype 41 of 100, lower is better. Sensational language in headlines. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The FBI opened a probe into Jeff Sessions on 10 May 2017 at the request of two Democrat senators, Patrick Leahy and Al Franken. - The investigation, codenamed 'March Toll', was based on a letter from the senators and a liberal news article, and closed in May 2018 without charges. - Declassified documents reveal the FBI kept the probe in a sensitive compartmented facility and categorised it as a 'sensitive investigative matter'. - None of the left- or centre-rated outlets tracked by MediaBias News carried the story after the documents were declassified. The FBI opened an investigation into then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions on 10 May 2017, one day after President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. The probe, codenamed 'March Toll', was launched at the request of two Democrat senators, Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Al Franken of Minnesota. The senators had written to Comey on 20 March 2017, alleging that Sessions had made false statements during his Senate confirmation hearing about contacts with Russian officials. The investigation was based on the senators' letter and a liberal news article, according to declassified documents. The FBI classified the probe as a 'sensitive investigative matter' and kept the case file in a sensitive compartmented information facility at its Washington Field Office. The documents show the FBI received the senators' letter on 10 May 2017 and opened the investigation the same day. The probe focused on whether Sessions had been truthful in his January 2017 confirmation hearing testimony. Leahy had asked Sessions in writing whether he had been 'in contact with anyone connected to any part of the Russian government about the 2016 election'. Sessions answered 'No'. Franken later asked a similar question, to which Sessions replied that he had not had communications with Russians. The senators called Sessions' testimony 'discernibly false' and 'unequivocally false' in their letter to Comey. Sessions met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in 2016 while serving as a U.S. senator from Alabama. In a 6 March 2017 letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sessions said he had told the truth in his confirmation hearing. The FBI closed the investigation in May 2018 after finding no evidence of false statements or perjury. Aaron Zebley, a lawyer in the office of special counsel Robert Mueller, wrote that the probe was closed after interviewing Sessions and conducting additional investigation. ## What the coverage left out None of the left- or centre-rated outlets tracked by MediaBias News carried the story after the documents were declassified. The right-rated digests and report did not mention that Sessions had recused himself from the Russia investigation into Trump before the probe was opened, as reported by WND. The digests also omitted that the special counsel's office had advised Sessions' private counsel of the investigation's closure in March 2018. ## Who covered it Shares of the 7 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 0% (0) - Right: 100% (7) 0 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-11T03:26:12.153Z. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-11T05:46:09.073Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre No separate framing summary. ### Right - All seven right-rated digests and the single full report led on the FBI's decision to open the probe at the behest of Democrat senators. The WND report, the only full article in the sample, described the investigation as part of a 'Deep State targeting' of Sessions and linked it to the broader Russia collusion narrative. It quoted the FBI's internal memo stating that a 'crime or threat to national security has or may have occurred' and named the senators' letter as the trigger. - The digests from Breitbart, The Last Refuge, Washington Examiner, [your]NEWS, ussanews.com and The Daily Signal all carried the date the probe was opened, the senators' names, and the fact that the investigation was based on their letter. The Breitbart digest added that a HuffPost article was folded into the case file. The Last Refuge digest noted the probe was opened the day after Comey was fired and mentioned the codename 'March Toll'. - The WND report quoted the senators' letter calling Sessions' testimony 'discernibly false' and 'unequivocally false'. It also quoted Aaron Zebley's 2018 memo stating that the special counsel's office had closed the investigation after finding no evidence of false statements or perjury. The report named the FBI official who oversaw the probe, E.W. 'Bill' Priestap, and linked him to the broader Russia investigation into Trump. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 3 - mixed: 3 - high: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Breitbart](https://breitbart.com/politics/2026/08/10/declassified-fbi-probe-jeff-sessions-huffpost-article) — Declassified: FBI Probed Jeff Sessions Using Left-Wing HuffPost Article - [The Last Refuge](https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2026/08/10/fbi-declassifies-investigation-of-former-ag-jeff-sessions-codename-march-toll) — FBI Declassifies Investigation of Former AG Jeff Sessions, Codename "March Toll" - [Washington Examiner](https://washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/4680837/fbi-investigated-then-attorney-general-jeff-sessions-one-day-after-comey-firing-declassified-documents) — FBI investigated Jeff Sessions one week after Comey's firing: Declassified records - [WND](https://wnd.com/2026/08/declassified-documents-reveal-democrats-deep-state-targeting-jeff) — Declassified documents reveal Democrats’, Deep State targeting of Jeff Sessions in Russia probe - [[your]NEWS](https://yournews.com/2026/08/10/7151969/fbi-launched-probe-into-jeff-sessions-based-on-democrat-senators) — FBI Launched Probe Into Jeff Sessions Based on Democrat Senators’ Letter, Despite Updated Testimony - [ussanews.com](https://ussanews.com/2026/08/10/declassified-documents-reveal-democrats-deep-state-targeting-of-sessions-in-russia-probe) — Declassified Documents Reveal Democrats’, Deep State Targeting of Sessions in Russia Probe - [The Daily Signal](https://dailysignal.com/2026/08/10/declassified-documents-reveal-democrats-deep-state-targeting-of-sessions) — Declassified Docs Show Sessions Targeted in Russia Probe ## Questions **Why did the FBI open a probe into Jeff Sessions?** The FBI opened a probe into Jeff Sessions on 10 May 2017 after two Democrat senators, Patrick Leahy and Al Franken, wrote to then-FBI Director James Comey alleging Sessions had made false statements about contacts with Russian officials. The investigation was based on the senators' letter and a liberal news article. **What was the outcome of the FBI's investigation into Jeff Sessions?** The FBI closed its investigation into Jeff Sessions in May 2018 after finding no evidence of false statements or perjury. Aaron Zebley, a lawyer in the special counsel's office, wrote that the probe was closed after interviewing Sessions and conducting additional investigation. **Which outlets reported the declassified documents on the Sessions probe?** Seven right-rated outlets reported the declassified documents, including WND, Breitbart, The Last Refuge, Washington Examiner, [your]NEWS, ussanews.com and The Daily Signal. No left- or centre-rated outlet tracked by MediaBias News carried the story. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/fbi-probed-jeff-sessions-in-2017-after-democrat-senators-request. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "FBI probed Jeff Sessions in 2017 after Democrat senators' request", https://mediabias.news/politics/fbi-probed-jeff-sessions-in-2017-after-democrat-senators-request