The Washington Post called on Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, to recuse himself from investigations into the 2016 presidential elections.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider the nomination of Sessions on Tuesday.
"As with any potential Justice Department leader, a primary question is whether Mr. Sessions will defend the separation between White House political interests and Justice Department decision-making, which should recognize no interest beyond fairly enforcing the law," the Post said in an editorial.
It noted Sessions has already promised to recuse himself from any Justice Department decisions relating to Hillary Clinton's email server or the Clinton Foundation. Statements he made during the campaign "about these matters would have cast doubt on his impartiality," according to the Post.
But the newspaper said he declined to make a similar pledge on the questions surrounding Russian influence on the election and the Trump administration.
The Post pointed out reports that a federal counterintelligence task force has been looking at possible links between the Russian government and people close to Trump, including national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Flynn's "communications with Russians officials . . . have been scrutinized," the Post said.
"The White House says that these communications consisted of holiday greetings, logistical discussions about arranging phone calls between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mr. Trump, and other innocuous matters," the newspaper said.
"If that is so, Mr. Flynn has nothing to fear from a federal probe, which, given the high concern in many quarters, should continue as long as any questions linger."
The newspaper said Sessions had been asked by Judiciary Committee Democrats how he would handle hacking prosecutions or probes of potential connections between Trump associates and Russian authorities.
"He has always backed away from committing to recusing himself," the Post said.
"But the basis for recusal is clear," the Post said. "Like Mr. Flynn, Mr. Sessions played a key role in the president's campaign. He should commit to recusing himself now. The Senate should insist on such a commitment before it votes."
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