Thread: Trump’s tweets about Jeff Sessions can’t be ignored

Trump’s tweets about Jeff Sessions can’t be ignored

Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Associated Press file photo

President Donald Trump listens as Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, after Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath of office to Sessions in Feb. 2017.

By ED ROGERS | Special to The Washington Post
September 9, 2018 at 12:13 pm


President Donald Trump’s tweets on Monday scolding Attorney General Jeff Sessions for bringing charges against two Republicans in Congress are significant. They confirm that Trump thinks political considerations regarding the midterm elections should have guided the investigations and recent indictments.

I’m a committed Republican who mostly tries to give the White House the benefit of the doubt, but in this case, there is no doubt. The president’s words are clear: He wants to manipulate the administration of justice for his own benefit. It would be impossible for the Senate, which would have to confirm the next attorney general, to ignore this fact.

It is now reasonable to assume that Trump has a bias to interfere with the administration of justice. Once Sessions takes his leave, think of all the pledges the next nominee for attorney general will have to make to convince the Senate that he or she will not bow to the pressures of the president.
For starters, the nominee will probably have to agree to never meet privately with the president and never speak with him on the phone without a note-taker listening in.

There are many questions to answer: How will the nominee commit to ensuring that the biases of this president will be sufficiently disregarded so that prosecutions remain timely and just? How will the nominee guarantee that viable prosecutions will not be ignored, delayed or otherwise manipulated to help Republicans in the next campaign? How will the Senate be reassured that the Justice Department is walled off from the president’s corrupt intentions? How will the nominee go about securing the integrity of the American judicial system and preventing presidential misuse of law enforcement and prosecutions?

The fact that such questions even have to be asked is stunning. Every American should be alarmed.
And oh, by the way, I’ve been in the swamp for 35 years, and it might be news to Trump, but I do not believe there is one senator in either party who expects or wants the Justice Department to be used in furtherance of partisan political gain. Nobody wants to go where Trump’s tweets confirm he already is.
When Sessions steps down, the Senate must use the confirmation process for his successor to make rigorous new demands of the next attorney general. Subsequent oversight from both houses of Congress will be unprecedented but necessary. I don’t think the president has warped the Justice Department forever, but he has certainly changed the way the attorney general will have to operate through the remainder of his presidency.

Ed Rogers is a contributor to the PostPartisan blog, a political consultant and a veteran of the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush White Houses and several national campaigns. He is the chairman of the lobbying and communications firm BGR Group, which he founded with former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour in 1991.

https://www.denverpost.com/2018/09/0...nt-be-ignored/

Oh for heaven's sakes. Trump is talking about the DOJ POLICY, long-standing in place for decades that instructs DOJ attorneys to AVOID PROSECUTIONS OF POLITICIANS too close to elections, so as not to unduly interfere in those elections. Anyone who really worked for the Bush and Reagan Administrations knows that, so Ed Rogers is a Swamp Creature who hates Trump.

These charges and indictments were brought against Hunter and Collins 90 days before a midterm election they're running in. That is NOT within the DOJ guidelines because there is NO TIME to finish a trial and exonerate themselves, plus they wouldn't be able to campaign properly having to devote all their time to defending themselves and proving their innocence. With early voting, people will vote up to 30 days ahead of the election. THIS WAS WRONG AND TRUMP IS RIGHT TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST IT. I don't care if a candidate is a Republican or Democrat or Something Else, THIS IS WRONG.

These are just two more WITCH HUNTS by the DOJ to throw elections in favor of DemoQuacks. AND IT STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN.

I hope voters in their districts see this for what it really is and vote for them anyway. It's not fair and it's not right what is going on the DOJ.

Originally Posted by Judy

Oh for heaven's sakes. Trump is talking about the DOJ POLICY, long-standing in place for decades that instructs DOJ attorneys to AVOID PROSECUTIONS OF POLITICIANS too close to elections, so as not to unduly interfere in those elections. Anyone who really worked for the Bush and Reagan Administrations knows that, so Ed Rogers is a Swamp Creature who hates Trump.

These charges and indictments were brought against Hunter and Collins 90 days before a midterm election they're running in. That is NOT within the DOJ guidelines because there is NO TIME to finish a trial and exonerate themselves, plus they wouldn't be able to campaign properly having to devote all their time to defending themselves and proving their innocence. With early voting, people will vote up to 30 days ahead of the election. THIS WAS WRONG AND TRUMP IS RIGHT TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST IT. I don't care if a candidate is a Republican or Democrat or Something Else, THIS IS WRONG.

These are just two more WITCH HUNTS by the DOJ to throw elections in favor of DemoQuacks. AND IT STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN.

I hope voters in their districts see this for what it really is and vote for them anyway. It's not fair and it's not right what is going on the DOJ.

You're understanding of what the criminal justice system is supposed to be is extremely weak. Furthermore, making things up to satisfy your own agenda is very disingenuous. Personally, I'd like to see Duncan Hunter win regardless of the charges and let the chips fall where they may. However, even I know you don't delay criminal prosecution for the sake of an election. Don't know where you got the notion that delaying such such a prosecution is against DOJ policy. Of course it's not. That in itself would be criminal! Turning your eyes away in the face of a crime may be Judy's way, but that's now how our criminal justice system is supposed to operate.

If the DOJ has the goods on these two, regardless of their party affiliation, then they need to face the music. It's ridiculous to suggest otherwise.

Then you need to call for a change in the DOJ policy and let DOJ lawyers determine who is elected to represent the people of the United States. Trump Supporters outsmarted them once, but whether we can do it every single fvcking time for every single fvcking race, I just don't know. The other question is why would we want to? Why don't we just shut them down and tell them to stay out of our politics, stay out of elections and stay the hell away from our politicians at election time. If you've got a case, bring it way before the primaries or wait until after the election is over.

Very fvcking simple.

Judge Napolitano: Trump's Tweets Against Jeff Sessions Are 'Fodder For Mueller's Cannon'

By John Amato

9/04/18 8:44am

1 week ago by John Amato
2100


Judge Napolitano told dejected "Fox and Friends" hosts moping on the curvy couch that Donald Trump's latest tweet blaming Jeff Sessions for mucking up the midterm elections by prosecuting two Republicans is more fuel for Robert Mueller's special counsel.
After Brian Kilmeade read Donald Trump's latest anti-Jeff Sessions tweet on-air, co-host Steve Doocy intimated it sounded like criminal behavior.

Doocy asked, "What was the president trying to say with those tweets because it sounds like one thing, I just want to know if you think the same thing I do?"

Judge Napolitano told Fox and Friends that the President does have some influence over the Justice Department but because of his actions against the Attorney General they aren't communicating.

Napolitano continued, "There is evidence of serious crime here and there can't be two standards, one for Republican members of Congress and one for others."
He continued, "Two Republican congressmen are charged with serious crimes "It is the duty of the Justice Department to prosecute crimes when they find them and to bring indictments when a grand jury has decided there is enough evidence there."

The Fox News senior legal analyst outlined the strong cases against both Rep. Collins and Hunter that Trump was whining about in his Tweet.

Co-host Ainsley tried to intimate that the government was intercepting Rep. Collins's phone calls illegally.

"Was that a government phone?" she asked. Napolitano said he didn't know but the congressman wasn't charged with using government property.

"The Justice Department would have been most unwise had it waited until after the midterm elections to pop these indictments," Napolitano said.

Brian Kilmeade wanted to know if the DOJ had these indictments in June or May to further smear the FBI. "That's what the president is saying," he insisted.
Of course he's not saying that it all but Kilmeade like many Trump surrogates on Fox News can rewrite Trump's thoughts and tweets to perfection.

“But when the president says these things, he gives the — basically, ‘I want to you use Justice Department to help the Republican Party’ — that is fodder for the cannon of Bob Mueller,and the never Trumpers who wish the president ill."


It's using his own words out of his own mouth to help put him in a box of the use of government for political purposes."

Doocy replied, "If Republicans lose the House then he's blaming Jeff Sessions."
"Exactly."

This was the most subdued group on the Fox and Friends couch I've seen in a long time. They didn't interrupt and ask questions or interject thoughts because even they had trouble defending Trump's attacks on the rule of law and his use of the DOJ as his private police force to help Republicans.

https://crooksandliars.com/2018/09/j...tano-trump-doj

No, they have it backwards. It's not trying to use the DOJ to help the Republican Party, it's using the DOJ to hurt the Republican Party. The DOJ isn't supposed to be doing this during election periods by their own rules and protocols because under our "rule of law", everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, so when you charge someone 90 days before a General Election, then you are clearly using the indictment to smear the candidate and interfere in the election.

These are old events. Hunter has already paid back everything he thought he owed from the last election. So why any charges at all? Collins didn't sell any of his stock, so why any charges at all? Maybe they are guilty, maybe they aren't, we don't know one way or the other, but the issue is DOJ is playing politics, they are smearing two people innocent until proven guilty 90 days before a General Election. Sorry but that is wrong for candidates of any political party in the United States.

Originally Posted by Judy

No, they have it backwards. It's not trying to use the DOJ to help the Republican Party, it's using the DOJ to hurt the Republican Party. The DOJ isn't supposed to be doing this during election periods by their own rules and protocols because under our "rule of law", everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, so when you charge someone 90 days before a General Election, then you are clearly using the indictment to smear the candidate and interfere in the election.

These are old events. Hunter has already paid back everything he thought he owed from the last election. So why any charges at all? Collins didn't sell any of his stock, so why any charges at all? Maybe they are guilty, maybe they aren't, we don't know one way or the other, but the issue is DOJ is playing politics, they are smearing two people innocent until proven guilty 90 days before a General Election. Sorry but that is wrong for candidates of any political party in the United States.

Time to step down off your high horse and realize that nobody is supposed to be above the law.

I'm not getting off my high horse for you or anyone else.

Originally Posted by MW

Time to step down off your high horse and realize that nobody is supposed to be above the law.

Right! Not Hillary, not Eric Holder, not Comey, nor Strzok, and a host of others, all favoring the left.

We had the President of the Untied States, Obama, making a secret commitment to Putin, through Mesdvedev. The press ignored it. President Trump is not doing much of anything "secretly". The press isn't happy because he short-circuits their ability to present their politically motivated rumors. Would you rather President Trump use underhanded secret methods to manipulate the Attorney General? As it is, everybody pretty well knows what they say to each other. I think that is better for democracy! And from what I have seen, President Trump is asking for fairness, not favoritism.

As for a case coming before an election, they certainly can be delayed, and, unless there is incontrovertible evidence, it should be delayed so as not to affect the election.

On the other hand, you have Bob Woodward pushing his new book claiming what people have told him. But many of these people say what he claims is a lie, that he often never talked to them. When it is secret, someone like Woodward can create boogiemen, and people like you will believe it, despite the denials by those who would know. That is because, we tend to buy the first version we hear, truth be damned.

I prefer a President who is telling people what he is thinking rather than a secretive one who is trying to manipulate everybody.

Great post, jtdc!

(You look so much better on your high horse than in the clown suit.)