Overview
- The FBI opened the probe code-named MARCH TOLL on May 10, 2017, one day after President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, to examine whether Sessions made false statements about contacts with Russian officials.
- The initial predicate for the investigation was a March 20, 2017 letter from Senators Patrick Leahy and Al Franken that said Sessions’ testimony could be construed as perjury, and agents later added two open-source news articles alleging a third Sessions–Kislyak meeting.
- FBI records classify the matter as a 'sensitive investigative matter' (SIM), placed the file in a SCIF at the Washington Field Office, and show limited internal access under Assistant Director E.W. 'Bill' Priestap.
- Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office interviewed Sessions and formally closed the probe on May 8, 2018, concluding it would not pursue charges for false statements or perjury.
- The White House’s late July–early August 2026 declassification of the files has prompted renewed partisan debate and reported oversight actions, including grand-jury subpoenas and a Fort Pierce review of whether agencies improperly targeted Trump-era officials.