US Attorney General Jeff Sessions was questioned last week by the special counsel's office investigating potential collusion between Russia and President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, a US Justice Department spokesman said Tuesday.

The interview marked the first time that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office is known to have interviewed a member of Trump's Cabinet.

Sessions recused himself from overseeing the Russia probe last March after media outlets reported he had failed to disclose several 2016 meetings with Russia's ambassador. His recusal paved the way for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint Mueller as special counsel in May 2017.

Reuters could not immediately learn details about what kinds of questions Sessions faced during his interview, which was first reported by the New York Times. But his involvement in Trump's firing of former FBI Director James Comey is likely to be one area of interest for Mueller's team.

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