Blasted by Trump over Russia probe, Sessions fired as attorney general

[webfact]

Blasted by Trump over Russia probe, Sessions fired as attorney general

By Sarah N. Lynch

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions waits to speak at a National Opioid Summit at the Justice Department in Washington,. October 25, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was fired on Wednesday after receiving unrelenting criticism from President Donald Trump for recusing himself from an investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 presidential race.

 

In a step that could have implications for the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Trump replaced Sessions with Matthew Whitaker, who will be acting attorney general. He had been Sessions' chief of staff.

 

The top Democrat in the U.S. Senate immediately called on Whitaker to recuse himself from the Mueller probe.

 

“Given his previous comments advocating defunding and imposing limitations on the Mueller investigation, Mr. Whitaker should recuse himself from its oversight for the duration of his time as acting attorney general,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

 

In an opinion piece for CNN that appeared on Aug. 6, 2017, while he was a commentator for the network, Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney, said Mueller would be crossing a line if he investigated the Trump family's finances. The piece was titled: “Mueller’s investigation of Trump is going too far.”

 

Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani told Reuters on Tuesday that he assumed Sessions' departure was "not going to affect" the Mueller investigation.

 

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is supervising the Russia investigation and has also faced criticism from Trump, was seen by Reuters entering the White House on Wednesday afternoon.

 

A spokesman for the special counsel’s office declined to comment on Sessions’ resignation and what it means for Mueller’s probe.

 

Trump announced Sessions' departure on Twitter and thanked him for his service. Sessions said in a letter to Trump that he had resigned at the president's request.

 

Sessions' exit had been widely expected to come soon after Tuesday's congressional elections, in which Republicans retained their majority in the Senate but lost control of the House of Representatives.

 

Never in modern history has a president attacked a Cabinet member as frequently and harshly in public as Trump did Sessions, 71, who had been one of the first members of Congress to back his presidential campaign in 2015.

 

Democratic Representative Jerrold Nadler, expected to chair the House Judiciary Committee starting in January, demanded answers in a tweet about Trump's reasons for firing Sessions.

 

"Why is the President making this change and who has authority over Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation? We will be holding people accountable," Nadler asked on Twitter.

 

Mueller's probe, operating under the auspices of the Justice Department, already has yielded criminal charges against several Trump associates and has clouded his presidency for many months.

 

Republicans had repeatedly urged Trump not to oust Sessions, a former conservative Republican senator from Alabama, before the elections lest it create political fallout.

 

They had also argued that Sessions should be allowed a graceful exit after he doggedly carried out Trump's agenda on illegal immigration and other administration priorities.

 

RECUSAL OVER RUSSIA

Trump was only a few weeks into his presidency in March 2017 when Sessions upset him. Rejecting White House entreaties not to do so, Sessions stepped aside from overseeing the FBI's probe of potential collusion between the Trump presidential campaign and Moscow. Sessions cited news reports of previously undisclosed meetings he had with Russia's ambassador to Washington as his reason for recusal.

 

Rosenstein took over supervision of the Russia investigation and appointed Mueller in May 2017 as the Justice Department's special counsel to take over the FBI's Russia probe after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.

 

A permanent replacement for Sessions must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, which Trump's Republicans will continue to control as a result of Tuesday's midterm elections.

 

Mueller is pursuing an investigation into whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia, whether Trump unlawfully tried to obstruct the probe, and possible financial misconduct by Trump's family and associates. Mueller has brought charges against Trump's former campaign chairman and other campaign figures, as well as against 25 Russians and three firms accused of meddling in the campaign to help Trump win.

 

Trump has denied his campaign colluded with Russia.

 

Trump publicly seethed over Sessions' recusal and said he regretted appointing him. On Twitter, he blasted Sessions as "VERY weak" and urged him to stop the Russia investigation. In July 2017, he told the New York Times that if he had known Sessions would recuse himself, he never would have appointed him attorney general.

 

Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward wrote in his book "Fear" that Trump, talking to a White House secretary, disparaged Sessions as "mentally retarded" and a "dumb Southerner" while mocking his accent.

 

There were news reports in the weeks after Mueller's appointment that Sessions had offered to resign. Sessions usually remained quiet on Trump's criticism, but defended himself in February 2018 after a Trump tweet criticizing his job performance by saying he would perform his duties "with integrity and honour."

 

RESPONDING TO TRUMP

In August, Sessions punched back harder after Trump said in a Fox News interview that Sessions "never took control of the Justice Department." Sessions issued a statement saying he "took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in" and vowed not to allow it to be "improperly influenced by political considerations."

 

As for his own involvement with Russia, Sessions was questioned in January by Mueller's team and has offered shifting public accounts. He has said nothing improper transpired in his meetings during the campaign with Ambassador Sergei Kislyak. In congressional testimony in November, he said he now recalled a meeting during the 2016 campaign in which a campaign adviser, with Trump present, offered to use connections with Moscow to arrange a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Writing by Bill Trott and Kevin Drawbaugh; Editing by Will Dunham and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-11-08

[thaibeachlovers]

HIP HIP HOORAY. Bye bye Sessions, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

 

Mind you, Sessions was always a dead man walking after he recused himself and Mueller was allowed open season on Trump associates. It was just a matter of time and opportunity. Had the Dems won the senate, it might have made it impossible to appoint a better AG though, so a big Dem lose there. As for Whitaker recusing himself 555555555555555555555555.

[thaibeachlovers]

12 minutes ago, webfact said:

Democratic Representative Jerrold Nadler, expected to chair the House Judiciary Committee starting in January, demanded answers in a tweet about Trump's reasons for firing Sessions.

 

"Why is the President making this change and who has authority over Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation? We will be holding people accountable," Nadler asked on Twitter.

LOL. If Nadler doesn't know the answer to his own questions, he must be the thickest politician ever to be elected.

 

Have to say, I didn't expect Sessions to be gone quite so soon, but it's very cheery news. Really made my day:-)

Edited November 7, 2018 by thaibeachlovers

[pegman]

I should have stocked up on pot company shares. Up 30% after Sessions whacked.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/07/pot-stock-tilray-up-22percent-after-jeff-sessions-quits-as-attorney-general.html

[Samui Bodoh]

"...In a step that could have implications for the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Trump replaced Sessions with Matthew Whitaker, who will be acting attorney general..."

 

Now we'll see if the American system of checks and balances works or not.

 

A reasonable and credible investigation into the President, his campaign and the 2016 election was launched.

 

Will it be allowed to continue unfettered?

Will the Congress provide protection?

Will the American system work?

 

Or, will Trump squash it and make a mockery of the notion of accountability?

 

The USA is very much at a crossroads at the moment...

 

Very much...

 

 

Edited November 7, 2018 by Samui Bodoh

[Somtamnication]

Orange Man is on dangerous ground now. Interference in a criminal probe is not the way to fight Mueller.

[riclag]

I'm glad to see him resign! His replacement will be a breath of fresh air Mark Whirraker acting AG

Mueller's investigation of Trump is going too far

https://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/06/opinions/rosenstein-should-curb-mueller-whittaker-opinion/index.html

[riclag]

16 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

LOL. If Nadler doesn't know the answer to his own questions, he must be the thickest politician ever to be elected.

Lindsey and Mitch had reservations many months ago about  firing JS. They are apparently welcoming his resignation 

Edited November 7, 2018 by riclag

[pegman]

When Trump fired Comey he got Mueller. Let's see what firing Sessions triggers. 

[cleopatra2]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

HIP HIP HOORAY. Bye bye Sessions, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

 

Mind you, Sessions was always a dead man walking after he recused himself and Mueller was allowed open season on Trump associates. It was just a matter of time and opportunity. Had the Dems won the senate, it might have made it impossible to appoint a better AG though, so a big Dem lose there. As for Whitaker recusing himself 555555555555555555555555.

Does Sessions now loose executive privilege , and  can be called as a witness in the Mueller investigation

Edited November 8, 2018 by cleopatra2

[Lacessit]

This smacks of desperation. Mueller must be getting close to whatever is Trump's vulnerability on finances.

The next step would be either Whittaker hobbling Mueller, or firing him. It's a big gamble by Trump, as the Democrats now control the Congress, and have the numbers to impeach him.

Al Capone didn't go to prison for the murders and other crimes he committed. He got it in the neck for tax evasion.

There's a saying in law enforcement, follow the money. IMHO that's what Mueller is doing.

 

[Longcut]

3 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

"...In a step that could have implications for the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Trump replaced Sessions with Matthew Whitaker, who will be acting attorney general..."

 

Now we'll see if the American system of checks and balances works or not.

 

A reasonable and credible investigation into the President, his campaign and the 2016 election was launched.

 

Will it be allowed to continue unfettered?

Will the Congress provide protection?

Will the American system work?

 

Or, will Trump squash it and make a mockery of the notion of accountability?

 

The USA is very much at a crossroads at the moment...

 

Very much...

 

 

Very common for presidents to reshuffle their cabinet after the midterms. It would have looked worse if he had done it a month ago.

[stevenl]

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

HIP HIP HOORAY. Bye bye Sessions, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

 

Mind you, Sessions was always a dead man walking after he recused himself and Mueller was allowed open season on Trump associates. It was just a matter of time and opportunity. Had the Dems won the senate, it might have made it impossible to appoint a better AG though, so a big Dem lose there. As for Whitaker recusing himself 555555555555555555555555.

Mueller was allowed open season on Trump associates?

Of course, he is investigating potential crimes.

[Berkshire]

So who is this Matthew Whitaker guy?  Well we know he's on Trump's side when it comes to the Mueller investigation.  But what else?

 

[Our new acting attorney general was listed on the advisory board of a patent marketing company that federal authorities shut down as a fraudulent scheme that bilked aspiring inventors of millions of dollars and intimated that those who publicly complained might have to deal with a “security team” of Israeli ex-special forces operators schooled in Krav Maga.]

 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/matthew-whitaker-acting-attorney-general-once-used-his-justice-bona-fides-to-tout-scam-business?ref=wrap

 

As usual, Trump only hires "the best people." 

[malibukid]

Democracy in action Tuesday night.  the system still works.  good going America. sanity prevails.

[Basil B]

Will be interesting if the house were to to subpoena Sessions, for a "Kiss & Tell" on how Trump was ordering the obstructing and removal of Muller. 

 

Of course everybody Trump has fired is a liar...

[Emster23]

New House doesn't come into power until early January. Plenty of time for the rats to play before then

[LomSak27]

He's a little racist dweeb. Also a serious boozer, poor chucker is half petrified already. Just another one of the sleaze swamp dwellers Humpty Dunpty brought in the defraud and pillage the country. Served his purpose and cant get Humpty off the hook, better fire him and find another patsy. 

[heybruce]

There were legitimate reasons to fire Sessions, but he was fired for his first, ethical act; he recused himself from the Russian investigation.  If the firing is followed by attempts to constrain or end Mueller's investigation, that will lead to additional suspicions of obstruction of justice.

 

Now we will see if Trump is capable of using his head.  Mueller will have found legal means to protect his work and make it legally available to other investigators.  If the investigation, which seems to be largely concluded, is ended before a report can be filed, it won't make the evidence go away.  The evidence will simply make the optics through which the evidence is viewed much worse.

 

Will Trump be able to control his impulses and let the Mueller investigation finish in an orderly manner?  It's safe to assume he doesn't want to, but will calmer heads convince him to do so?

[Ron19]

Troll posts have been removed.

[Silurian]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

In a step that could have implications for the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Trump replaced Sessions with Matthew Whitaker, who will be acting attorney general.

 

Imagine if Whitaker pulls the rug out from under Senate Republicans by outright firing Mueller. Any Senate Republican still left bent over with their pants around their ankles supporting Trump in this move will voted out of office in the next election. They will be left hanging and fumbling around trying to make up various excuses why Mueller's investigation was terminated. 

 

But more likely, Whitaker will subject the Mueller investigation to death by thousand cuts. Whitaker will slowly reduce Mueller's budget, slowly remove Mueller's subpoena powers, slowly remove Muller's ability to indict anyone and then finally after repeatedly stating the Mueller investigation is pointless it will be over in a whimper. He has already setup this plan in mind.

 

5 Ways Matthew Whitaker, Trump’s Replacement for Sessions, May Already Be Ethically Compromised

 

Quote

He said, “I can see a scenario where Jeff Sessions is replaced with a recess appointment, and that attorney general doesn’t fire Bob Mueller, but he just reduces his budget so low that his investigation grinds almost to a halt.”

 

Edited November 8, 2018 by Silurian

[Redline]

It’s following the path of all special council investigations.  The average is 3.5 years.  Does anyone do research anymore?  This is common and unextrordinary 

[notmyself]

9 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

HIP HIP HOORAY. Bye bye Sessions, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

 

Mind you, Sessions was always a dead man walking after he recused himself and Mueller was allowed open season on Trump associates. It was just a matter of time and opportunity. Had the Dems won the senate, it might have made it impossible to appoint a better AG though, so a big Dem lose there. As for Whitaker recusing himself 555555555555555555555555.

 

He had to recuse himself after he was found to have lied so the real question is would have he done so if he was not caught? I would suggest not.

 

Not sure what to make of 'open season' since Mueller is just doing what he was asked to do.

 

The letter announcing the appointment says that Mueller is authorized to investigate "any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump; and...any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation."

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/doj-appoints-special-counsel-in-wake-of-comey-developments/

 

As for Sessions going... Nasty piece of work by all accounts but sometimes better the devil you know.

 

 

 

[notmyself]

49 minutes ago, Silurian said:

 

Imagine if Whitaker pulls the rug out from under Senate Republicans by outright firing Mueller. Any Senate Republican still left bent over with their pants around their ankles supporting Trump in this move will voted out of office in the next election. They will be left hanging and fumbling around trying to make up various excuses why Mueller's investigation was terminated. 

 

But more likely, Whitaker will subject the Mueller investigation to death by thousand cuts. Whitaker will slowly reduce Mueller's budget, slowly remove Mueller's subpoena powers, slowly remove Muller's ability to indict anyone and then finally after repeatedly stating the Mueller investigation is pointless it will be over in a whimper. He has already setup this plan in mind.

 

5 Ways Matthew Whitaker, Trump’s Replacement for Sessions, May Already Be Ethically Compromised

 

 

 

Aye.…. and now I'm depressed.

 

 

 

[bristolboy]

10 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

LOL. If Nadler doesn't know the answer to his own questions, he must be the thickest politician ever to be elected.

 

Have to say, I didn't expect Sessions to be gone quite so soon, but it's very cheery news. Really made my day:-)

And if Nadler had answered his questions you'd be one of first accusing him of making baseless accusations.

[jcsmith]

10 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

HIP HIP HOORAY. Bye bye Sessions, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

 

Mind you, Sessions was always a dead man walking after he recused himself and Mueller was allowed open season on Trump associates. It was just a matter of time and opportunity. Had the Dems won the senate, it might have made it impossible to appoint a better AG though, so a big Dem lose there. As for Whitaker recusing himself 555555555555555555555555.

So you are celebrating the president obstructing justice? 

[Morch]

5 hours ago, Berkshire said:

So who is this Matthew Whitaker guy?  Well we know he's on Trump's side when it comes to the Mueller investigation.  But what else?

 

[Our new acting attorney general was listed on the advisory board of a patent marketing company that federal authorities shut down as a fraudulent scheme that bilked aspiring inventors of millions of dollars and intimated that those who publicly complained might have to deal with a “security team” of Israeli ex-special forces operators schooled in Krav Maga.]

 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/matthew-whitaker-acting-attorney-general-once-used-his-justice-bona-fides-to-tout-scam-business?ref=wrap

 

As usual, Trump only hires "the best people." 

 

Draining that swamp. Not.

[JHolmesJr]

7 hours ago, Lacessit said:

This smacks of desperation. Mueller must be getting close to whatever is Trump's vulnerability on finances.

We'd like to see something preferably in this century.

[Morch]

4 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

We'd like to see something preferably in this century.

 

We'd like posters to be informed when it comes to how long these sort of investigations take. Alas....

[roobaa01]

the mueller charade will be ending soon for he will receive the boot. then he will be trialed over misappropriation of tax payer money. yes put him on trial.

 

wbr

roobaa01