Jeff Sessions told White House he might quit if Rod Rosenstein is fired, reports say

William Cummings, USA TODAY Published 9:31 p.m. ET April 20, 2018 | Updated 4:44 p.m. ET April 21, 2018

Attorney General Jeff Sessions told the White House last weekend that if President Donald Trump fires Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Sessions himself may quit. USA TODAY


Attorney General Jeff Sessions told the White House he might resign if President Trump fires the deputy attorney general overseeing the investigation into Russian election meddling, according to The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, each citing unnamed sources.

Sessions told White House counsel Donald McGahn in a phone call last weekend that he would consider quitting if Trump fired Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the Post reported. At the time, Sessions was concerned Trump was close to dismissing Rosenstein because the president was furious about the FBI raid on the office of his personal attorney, Michael Cohen.

According to media reports, Trump discussed the possibility of firing Rosenstein with senior administration officials because Rosenstein approved the April 9 raids.

Sessions did not mean to raise the possibility of his resignation as a threat, but "rather wanted to convey the untenable position that Rosenstein’s firing would put him in," a source told the Post.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks about the opioid crisis during an appearance in Raleigh, N.C., April 17, 2018. (Photo: Gerry Broome, AP)


Trump has sharply criticized his attorney general over Sessions' decision in March 2017 to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. Rosenstein then took over the investigation and appointed special counsel Robert Mueller.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...red/538350002/