The top White House spokesperson warned
Tuesday that President Trump’s frustration with Jeff Sessions is not
going away, moments after the president tore into his attorney general
on Twitter as “VERY weak” on Hillary Clinton’s supposed “crimes.”
Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, speaking with “Fox & Friends,”
also neither confirmed nor denied reports that Trump has discussed the
possibility of firing Sessions and did not rule it out.
She said she hasn’t been part “of any
conversations discussing any potential replacements,” but made clear
that Trump is “frustrated and disappointed” in the attorney general for
recusing himself from the Russia meddling probe.
“That frustration certainly hasn’t gone away, and I don’t think it
will,” Sanders said.
As for whether Trump wants Sessions out, she said, “That’s a decision
that if the president wants to make, he certainly will.”
She also addressed rumors about former federal prosecutor and ex-New
York Mayor Rudy Giuliani being considered for the job. She said Giuliani
is someone Trump “respects” but, "Right now, Attorney General Jeff
Sessions is the attorney general."
Earlier Tuesday morning, Trump unleashed a battery of tweets berating
Sessions, first for the absence of an investigation into Clinton’s
connections to Ukraine and then for the AG's alleged stance on other
Clinton controversies.
“Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump campaign – 'quietly working to
boost Clinton.' So where is the investigation A.G.," he began, tweeting
at Fox News' Sean Hannity.
Moments later, he added: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a
VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC
server) & Intel leakers!”
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Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary
Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!
6:12 AM - 25 Jul 2017
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Sessions has been under fire since last week, when Trump leveled harsh
criticisms in a New York Times interview, calling Sessions’ recusal
“very unfair to the president” and adding that he never would have
appointed him attorney general had he known he would do so.
Sessions, though, said he would stay put. And Sanders had told reporters
last week that the president “clearly has confidence in him or he would
not be attorney general.”
The Associated Press, citing three people who have recently spoken to
the president, reported that Trump continues to rage against Sessions'
decision to recuse himself from all matters related to the Russia
investigation -- and has talked to aides about the possibility of firing
him.
Those who have spoken with the president cautioned that a change may not
be imminent or happen at all.
Sessions was at the White House Monday for a standing meeting he has at
the White House every week. Trump was not at the meeting, which is not
unusual, officials said.
Department of Justice officials told Fox News that Sessions is in "good
spirits."
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Dulles International
Airport in Dulles, Va., Saturday, July 22, 2017, after attending the
commissioning ceremony of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN
78) at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)Expand /
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President Donald Trump has spoken with advisers about firing Attorney
General Jeff Sessions, for his decision to recuse himself from all
matters related to the Russia investigation. (Ap Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Trump's intensifying criticism has fueled speculation that Sessions may
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, 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 the 2016
election and potential collusion with Trump's campaign.
The president's tweet about the former Alabama senator comes less than a
week after Trump, in a New York Times interview, said that Sessions
should never have taken the job as attorney general if he was going to
recuse himself. Sessions made that decision after it was revealed that
he had met with a top Russian diplomat last year.
Trump and Sessions' conversations in recent weeks have been infrequent.
Sessions had recently asked senior White House staff how he might patch
up relations with the president but that effort did not go anywhere,
according to a person briefed on the conversations.
Newt Gingrich, a frequent Trump adviser, said that the president, with
his criticisms of Sessions, was simply venting and being "honest about
his feelings. But that doesn't mean he's going to do anything," Gingrich
said. Still, he said the president's comments would have repercussions
when it comes to staff morale.
"Anybody who is good at team building would suggest to the president
that attacking members of your team rattles the whole team," Gingrich
said.
Sessions and Trump used to be close, sharing both a friendship and an
ideology. Sessions risked his reputation when he became the first U.S.
senator to endorse the celebrity businessman and his early backing gave
Trump legitimacy, especially among the hard-line anti-immigration forces
that bolstered his candidacy.
Several of Sessions' top aides now
serve in top administration posts, including Stephen Miller, the
architect of several of Trump's signature proposals, including the
travel ban and tough immigration policy.
After Trump's public rebuke last week, Sessions seemed determined to
keep doing the job he said "goes beyond anything that I would have ever
imagined for myself."
"I'm totally confident that we can continue to run this office in an
effective way," Sessions said last week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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