Nixonian
Attorney General Jeff Sessions admitted during his Senate confirmation process he should recuse himself from any investigations into Hillary Clinton, including into the Clinton Foundation:
Jeff Sessions’ job as attorney general has been in question even before he was confirmed: he lied to Congress during his confirmation hearing about his contacts with the Russians, and lied again when questioned about it. As a result he later recused himself from anything Russia related, infuriating his boss, President Trump. And new details from The New York Times Thursday night show Trump ordered his top White House lawyer to block the Attorney General from recusing himself from the Russia investigation. Sessions did so anyway, launching the President into a months-long tirade publicly attacking Sessions and privately spurring Sessions to offer a letter of resignation, which he did. It was refused.
The Times also reports on Trump’s anger that Sessions is not “protecting” him – which is not the job of the Attorney General:
Don McGahn, the top White House lawyer Trump ordered to block Sessions’ recusal, obviously failed, and when he did, “the president erupted in anger in front of numerous White House officials, saying he needed his attorney general to protect him,” The Times reports. “Mr. Trump said he had expected his top law enforcement official to safeguard him the way he believed Robert F. Kennedy, as attorney general, had done for his brother John F. Kennedy and Eric H. Holder Jr. had for Barack Obama.”
New revelations, from the Times article, also reveal Sessions directed an aide to contact “a Capitol Hill staff member asking whether the staffer had any derogatory information about the F.B.I. director,” whom Trump wanted to fire. “The attorney general wanted one negative article a day in the news media about Mr. Comey, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting.”
Former federal prosecutor Joyce Alene Thursday night responded to those details in the Times report by saying in the report is true, Sessions should no longer lead the DOJ:
Matthew Miller, the top DOJ spokesperson under Eric Holder reaches the same conclusion:
They’re not the only ones: top leaders of House Republicans’ Freedom Caucus want Sessions out – for not doing enough to protect Trump. (Again, it’s not his job to protect Trump.)
For months Trump has been going after Sessions, especially in relation to Clinton.
Just last week Trump called the FBI, which reports to Sessions, “tainted,” and attacked “Crooked Hillary”:
Less than two weeks ago:
In fact, all these tweets are from December, with Trump attacking the FBI, and some include attacks on Clinton:
So, Attorney General Jeff Sessions is under fire from all sides.
And what happens?
“The Justice Department has launched a new inquiry into whether the Clinton Foundation engaged in any pay-to-play politics or other illegal activities while Hillary Clinton served as Secretary of State,” The Hill reports Thursday night.
The Hill says “the probe is examining whether the Clintons promised or performed any policy favors in return for largesse to their charitable efforts or whether donors made commitments of donations in hopes of securing government outcomes.”
This is a political witch hunt, which seems to be directed from the highest levels of the Trump administration, either in an attempt for Sessions to keep his job, or from the president to attack his former political opponent, or both.
This is what happens in totalitarian countries, not nations that observe the rule of law.Â
It’s Nixonian.
To comment on this article and other NCRM content, visit our Facebook page.
If you find NCRM valuable, would you please consider making a donation to support our independent journalism?
Â