NBC News the agency had begun a preliminary inquiry into Manafort’s business connections in Russia. The new report from CNN stated that the surveillance stopped at some point in 2016 due to lack of evidence, but restarted with a second FISA warrant sometime after that, and continued into early 2017. and called President Donald Trump a liar numerous times,CNNreported reported, are documents surrounding a May meeting Trump had with Russian officials in which he reportedly said firing Comey relieved him of a "great pressure." him to remain in his role. They expressed concern that, if Sessions is replaced with a new Trump hire, that Attorney General could take control of the investigation from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein (who is only in charge because of Sessions’s recusal) and potentially influence it per Trump’s requests. “There was a time earlier in his tenure that I called him on to resign,” Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said, according to CNN. “At this point, I would have to determine the consequences knowing the president may be trying to obstruct justice.”