US President Donald Trump has spoken with advisers about firing US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, officials said, and yesterday launched a fresh Twitter tirade against the man who was the first US senator to endorse his candidacy.
“Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary [Rodham] Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!” Trump tweeted, referring to his former presidential rival and the Democratic National Convention.
The president’s anger over Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from the government’s investigation of Russian meddling in the US election had burst into public view on Monday, when he referred to Sessions in a tweet as “beleaguered.”
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Privately, Trump has speculated aloud to allies in recent days about the potential consequences of firing Sessions, according to three people who have recently spoken to the president. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Trump earlier this month assailed Sessions in a New York Times interview for taking himself out of the Russia probe, saying that if he had known Sessions would choose that course, he would not have installed him at the Department of Justice.
Trump often talks about making staff changes without following through, so those who have spoken with the president cautioned that a change might not be imminent or happen at all.
“So why aren’t the Committees and investigators, and of course our beleaguered A.G., looking into Crooked Hillarys crimes & Russia relations?” the president tweeted on Monday.
Trump’s rapid-fire tweeting resumed at daybreak yesterday, with the president wondering aloud about Sessions’ “VERY weak” position on “Hillary Clinton crimes.”
In another post to his Twitter account, Trump said: “Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump campaign — quietly working to boost Clinton. So where is the investigation A.G.”
Trump’s intensifying criticism of Sessions has fueled speculation that Sessions might resign even if Trump opts not to fire him.
During an event at the White House, Trump ignored a shouted question about whether Sessions should step down. The attorney general said last week he intended to stay in his post.
If Trump were to fire Sessions, US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein would be elevated to the top post on an acting basis.
That would leave the president with another attorney general of whom he has been sharply critical in both public and private for his handling of the Russia probe, according to four White House and outside advisers who, like others interviewed, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
It could also raise the specter of Trump asking Rosenstein — or whomever he appoints to fill the position — to fire Robert Mueller, the special counsel leading the investigation into Russia’s meddling in last year’s election and potential collusion with Trump’s campaign.
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