Trump: I'm 'just looking at' firing Sessions

Trump: I'm 'just looking at' firing Sessions

7 min ago

07/25/17 03:38 PM EDT

http://thehill.com/sites/default/fil...?itok=GbOucaQ2

President Trump wouldn’t say Tuesday whether he would fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions, after repeatedly criticizing the top law enforcement official.

“I’m just looking at it,” Trump said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, when The Journal asked him how long he would criticize Sessions without firing him. “I’ll just see. It’s a very important thing.”

Trump has repeatedly slammed Sessions for recusing himself in March from the investigation into ties between Russia and his administration. Sessions recused himself after reports that he had failed during his confirmation process to disclose contact with the Russian ambassador.

Trump also said that Sessions’ early endorsement of his campaign “wasn’t a great loyal thing" because Sessions had nothing to lose by backing him in a state where the then-presidential candidate was popular.

“When they say he endorsed me, I went to Alabama,” Trump said about the endorsement. “I had 40,000 people. He was a senator from Alabama. I won the state by a lot, massive numbers. A lot of the states I won by massive numbers. But he was a senator, he looks at 40,000 people and he probably says, ’What do I have to lose?’ And he endorsed me. So it’s not like a great loyal thing about the endorsement."

“I’m very disappointed in Jeff Sessions,” Trump added, repeating past comments.

Trump most recently attacked Sessions in a tweet Tuesday morning, for having "taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes.” He said last week that he would not have hired Sessions if he had known Sessions would have recused himself from the Russia probe.

Sessions said last week that he will stay in the administration for “as long as that is appropriate.”

http://thehill.com/homenews/administ...iring-sessions

Oh Lord! If Trump really said these things, especially about the Session's endorsement then things are scummier than any of us want to believe!

W

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Originally Posted by ALIPAC

Oh Lord! If Trump really said these things, especially about the Session's endorsement then things are scummier than any of us want to believe!
W

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I agree with you. Trump just sunk several notches on my 'respect' meter! He's to the point of embarrassing himself and the office of the President of the United States now. Trump needs to back off and back off quick. Continuing to irritate a large portion of his base is not a wise move.

Trump is about the biggest narcissist I've ever seen.

Sessions learns loyalty can be a one-way street with Trump

By Abby Phillip July 20

Nothing is more important to President Trump than loyalty — to him.
In business and in politics, he has demanded it from the people closest to him. Some employees who abandoned him were never welcomed back. Politicians who did not defend him after the most politically damaging moments of the 2016 campaign are still suspect in his eyes. And after six months as president, Trump is still known to publicly jab at people who did not support his presidential bid.

But as Attorney General Jeff Sessions learned this week, the loyalty Trump expects isn’t always reciprocated.

Sessions was one of Trump’s earliest supporters in Congress and one of the intellectual god*fathers of the nationalist movement that propelled his candidacy. Sessions lent his support, and even his closest aides, to boosting Trump’s core campaign promises on immigration and terrorism. At a time when Trump had no allies in the Senate, Sessions voiced support for Trump’s “movement.”

But the attorney general’s decision in March to recuse himself from the investigation of Russian interference in last year’s election and possible collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign seems to have made that history irrelevant.

(Taylor Turner/The Washington Post)

Trump unleashed his long-simmering fury at Sessions in an interview with the New York Times published Wednesday, calling Sessions’s decision “unfair” and expressing regret about choosing him as attorney general.

“How do you take a job and then recuse yourself?” Trump said. “If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, ‘Thanks, Jeff, but I can’t, you know, I’m not going to take you.’ ”

In Trump’s view, the recusal only served to increase the intensity of the Russia investigation, which the president calls a “witch hunt,” by leading to the appointment of a special counsel.

On Thursday morning, as he tried to highlight a successful drug operation during a news conference at the Justice Department, Sessions faced only questions about whether he would step down in the face of Trump’s public criticism.

The episode seems to vividly capture a Trump trait that is familiar to many of his aides, including chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, White House press secretary Sean Spicer and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus — all of whom have at one time fallen out of Trump’s good graces.

In business and in politics, people who do not measure up might be at risk of losing their jobs, no matter how loyal they have been to Trump. Those closest to him have come to accept this as a reality of his leadership style. Some even remain loyal to Trump after being discarded, knowing he may call on them again in the future.

“Here’s the deal: If you’re doing a good job, he’s not going to fire you,” said former aide Sam Nunberg, who was at one time fired by Trump. Nunberg, who began working for Trump in 2011, calls him a “great manager” despite Trump’s decision to sue him for $10 million in 2016 after their falling-out.

https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/im...EeecFRd3QGNegwPresident Trump listens as Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks during a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office in February. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Nunberg’s experience is not unique. Trump fired Corey Lew*andowski as his campaign manager after Lewandowski was accused of roughing up a female reporter on the campaign trail and Trump’s children grew disenchanted with his stewardship of the election effort. But Lewandowski has remained a vocal surrogate, phone pal and outside adviser to the president.

The White House is dominated by the uncertainty of Trump’s loyalty to and feelings about his aides and Cabinet secretaries. His spokespeople are repeatedly questioned about whether the president still has confidence in his top advisers, even his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Early in his presidency, Trump surveyed his friends and associates about Priebus’s performance, and rumors that the chief of staff might be replaced have been an ever-present feature of the first six months of the administration.

Bannon, who, like Sessions, helped hone Trump’s ideology during the campaign and entered the White House as one of its most powerful figures, recently found himself flying too close to the sun and risked Trump’s disapproval.

“I like Steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late,” Trump told a New York Post reporter in April. “I had already beaten all the senators and all the governors, and I didn’t know Steve.

“I’m my own strategist,” the president added.

Like many things about Trump’s foray into politics, his redefinition of loyalty is a striking change from recent presidents.

“It’s different,” remarked Ari Fleischer, who was press secretary for President George W. Bush. “It’s not how they describe personnel management in business school, but it’s also something that I suspect his top people got used to.

“I personally would never fit in an environment like this, but there’s more than one style that can be made to work, even if it makes things harder — and I do think this makes things harder,” he added.

For those in Trump’s orbit, this kind of loyalty has always been in his manual for success.

In “Trump Revealed,” a biography written by Washington Post reporters, a former employee recalled a seminal incident in the early 1990s when the opening week of Trump’s Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City teetered on the brink of disaster. Trump was eager to look around for blame, promising to fire any employees who contributed to the failure. He even sought to blame the casino’s problems on the staff connected to a Trump deputy who had recently died in a helicopter crash.

Trump has acknowledged that his willingness to prioritize his success and well-being over that of other people close to him is a feature of his leadership style.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...=.aa61f01b15e7

Sessions under fire from White House, ex-Senate colleagues defend his 'loyalty'

by Leandra Bernstein

http://static-14.sinclairstoryline.c...5601267618.jpg

FILE - In this July 21, 2017 file photo, Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks in Philadelphia. President Donald Trump took a new swipe at on Monday, July 24, 2017, referring to him in a tweet as “beleaguered” and wondering why Sessions isn’t digging into Hillary Clinton’s alleged contacts with Russia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday that he has not yet made a decision whether or not to fire Attorney General and long-time loyalist Jeff Sessions and he remains "disappointed" in his selection to lead the Department of Justice.

"I told you before, I'm very disappointed with the attorney general, but we will see what happens," Trump said when asked about possibly firing Sessions. "Time will tell. Time will tell."

Earlier in the day, the new White House communications director indicated that Trump would soon reach a decision on whether to keep Sessions on his team noting "there's obviously an issue in the relationship."

Anthony Scaramucci told reporters, "We'll get to a resolution shortly," after reporters asked about the increasingly public rift between Trump and Sessions.

Trump has doubled down on his previous criticism of his attorney general for recusing himself from the Russia investigation in recent days and added new grievances to the list.
At the White House, Trump emphasized that the attorney general needs to be "much tougher on the leaks from intelligence agencies." This was one of the complaints Trump cited prior to firing James Comey as head of the FBI.

The president also tweeted his disappointment that Sessions "has taken a VERY weak position" in investigating Hillary Clinton for using a private email server and destroying 33,000 emails. Sessions has also failed to look into "Crooked Hillary's crimes & Russia relations," the president said.

The tweet-storm coincided with anonymously sourced reports from inside the White House, claiming that Trump is actively looking for a replacement to head the Justice Department. Advisers have reportedly floated a few names including former Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and long-time Trump supporter and former New York City Mayor, Rudy Giuliani.

Both men were dismissive when press confronted them about possibly taking the position.

Review the complete timeline of events surrounding Attorney General Sessions:

Sen. Cruz would not comment on the matter when asked on Tuesday. He issued astatement earlier in the week rejecting the "false" media reports suggesting he was being considered for the position.

"I was proud to vote to confirm Jeff and to vigorously defend his confirmation," Cruz said. "I'm deeply gratified that we have a principled conservative like Jeff Sessions serving as Attorney General."

Rudy Giuliani was caught on camera by TMZ saying he wouldn't take the job because "I'm not a candidate for the position" and "the position's not open."

Trump fueled the rumors that he was considering firing his attorney general after aNew York Times interview last week. He said Sessions decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation was "extremely unfair."

"Sessions should have never recused himself, and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job, and I would have picked somebody else," the president said.

Sessions backed away from all things Russia-related on March 2 stating that his involvement in the 2016 Trump campaign could jeopardize his objectivity. Sessions was also under pressure to recuse himself after providing incomplete testimony during his Senate confirmation, not disclosing contact he had with Russian government figures during the campaign.

Republican and even Democratic senators have been outspoken in recent days about the way the president has treated their former colleague.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) issued a statement over social media defending the former Alabama senator as someone who "above [all] else ... believes in the rule of law."

Graham attacked Trump's earlier statement "suggesting Attorney General Sessions pursue prosecution of a former political rival" as "highly inappropriate."

On the campaign trail, Trump and his surrogates regularly led crowds in chants of "lock her up," promising jail time for Hillary Clinton if he won the presidency. Trump also memorably said he would direct his attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor to reopen the Clinton email investigation.

Other Republicans were focused on Trump's criticism of Sessions for stepping away from the Russia investigation after lawyers at the Department of Justice encouraged him to do so.

“I think the attorney general ... made the right decision to recuse himself from the Russia matter," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters on Tuesday.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who sits on the Judiciary Committee noted that even though he doesn't think Sessions had to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, it was still a wise decision.

"I think Sen. Sessions is doing a great job," Tillis told Sinclair Broadcast Group. "I think he showed good judgment by recusing himself – and he didn't really have to – and I look forward to him continuing to serve."

Democrats who were highly critical of Sessions during his confirmation process were compelled to come to his aide.

"I really think Donald Trump should cease and desist," said Sen. Diane Feinstein (Calif.), the ranking Democratic on the Judiciary Committee. "I happen to be a Democrat, but I worked with Sessions for twenty years on the committee. We don't treat people this way."
During his confirmation hearing, Feinstein and other Democrats relentlessly questioned Sessions over two days of marathon hearings. In the end, only one Democrat voted to confirm Sessions.

Sessions also took heat from former colleagues when he returned to Capitol Hill last month to discuss the reasons behind his recusal and clear the record on his contacts with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, defended also stepped in to defend his former colleague's character, saying Sessions "is a man of integrity, loyalty, and extraordinary character" emphasizing that "every administration needs that."

In an interview with Fox News, Shelby explained that while the president has the right to fire Sessions, "it would not be well-received on Capitol Hill."

Sessions' loyalty to the president has been clear to everyone in the Senate who recalls Sessions as the first, and for a long time the only member to endorse Donald Trump for president.

Trump himself has underscored the importance of loyalty from those who work for him. In the middle of a speech to the Boy Scouts of America, the president took a moment to make the side comment, "we could use some more loyalty, I will tell you that."

Sen. Feinstein laid into Trump for turning against Sessions for "selfish reasons."

"The attorney general was nothing but loyal to Donald Trump," Feinstein said. "He took an oath of office to represent the Constitution, the law and the people as attorney general. A month after he was appointed he found he should recuse himself, and he did that. And it was the right thing to do."

http://kimatv.com/news/nation-world/...defend-loyalty

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“When they say he endorsed me, I went to Alabama,” Trump said about the endorsement. “I had 40,000 people. He was a senator from Alabama. I won the state by a lot, massive numbers. A lot of the states I won by massive numbers. But he was a senator, he looks at 40,000 people and he probably says, ’What do I have to lose?’ And he endorsed me. So it’s not like a great loyal thing about the endorsement."

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What a load of B.S. Jeff Sessions never had a problem winning elections in Alabama. To my knowledge, in all his years as an Alabama Senator, he has never been seriously challenged!

@realDonaldTrump said to @jeffsessions dont prosecute @HillaryClinton on Nov 22/16 “I don’t wanna hurt them (Clintons) They're good people”

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Originally Posted by MW

What a load of B.S. Jeff Sessions never had a problem winning elections in Alabama. To my knowledge, in all his years as an Alabama Senator, he has never been seriously challenged!

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Sessions is revered in Alabama. Trump is playing with fire when he goes after Jeff Sessions. The backlash will leave him twitterless.

Why doesn't Trump fire Rosenstein, the Obama holdover, and appoint a new AAG for Mueller to answer to? In order to run a clean DOJ, Session's recusal was the proper thing to do. IMO

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Why doesn't Trump fire Rosenstein, the Obama holdover,

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rosenstien was on the list to be fired by AG Sessions but trump wanted to keep him.

Sessions says Trump criticism 'hurtful'

• https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cp...495839ffb0.jpg48 minutes ago
  
  7/27/17

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said Donald Trump's recent criticism of him is "hurtful", but that the president is a "strong leader".
Mr Trump has expressed disappointment with Mr Sessions for recusing himself from the inquiry into alleged Russia meddling in the US election.

A White House spokesman went as far as to suggest Mr Trump was considering firing the country's top prosecutor.

But Mr Sessions appeared to defend the president despite the recent slights.
"He is determined to move this country in the direction that he believes it needs to go to make it great again," Mr Sessions said of the president to Fox News on Thursday.

"And he has had a lot of criticism and he's steadfast determined to get his job done and he wants all of us to do our job and that's what I intend to do," he added.

The former Alabama senator also told the Associated Press on Thursday it had not been the "best week" for his relationship with Mr Trump, but that the president had every right to look for another attorney general.

"I serve at the pleasure of the president. I've understood that from the day I took the job," he said in El Salvador.

The president has publicly berated Mr Sessions in recent days, saying the former Alabama senator should not have recused himself.

Special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the probe and has also come under attack by the president, is reportedly investigating Mr Trump for possible obstruction of justice, both in the firing of former FBI chief James Comey and whether he tried to end an inquiry into sacked national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Mr Sessions stepped away from the inquiry earlier this year after he failed to disclose a meeting with the Kremlin's envoy during his confirmation hearing.

The president has denied any wrongdoing, calling the investigation a "witch hunt".
Earlier this week, Mr Trump said he was "disappointed" with Mr Sessions, calling him "beleagured".

He also tweeted that Mr Sessions had "taken a VERY weak position" on the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

In an interview with the New York Times, the president expressed regret about appointing Mr Sessions, adding he "should have never recused himself".

Earlier on Thursday, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham came to the defence of Mr Sessions, telling reporters there would "be holy hell to pay" if the top prosecutor was fired.
"It's unfair to Jeff Sessions, he's a good man who deserves better, and some of the suggestions the president is making go way beyond what's acceptable," Mr Graham said.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40745681