Posted on 07/19/2017 6:14:34 PM PDT by SkyPilot
President Trump said on Wednesday that he never would have appointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions had he known Mr. Sessions would recuse himself from overseeing the Russia investigation that has dogged his presidency, calling the decision “very unfair to the president.”
In a remarkable public break with one of his earliest political supporters, Mr. Trump complained that Mr. Sessions’s decision ultimately led to the appointment of a special counsel that should not have happened. “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,” Mr. Trump said.
In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times, the president also accused James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director he fired in May, of trying to leverage a dossier of compromising material to keep his job. Mr. Trump criticized both the acting F.B.I. director who has been filling in since Mr. Comey’s dismissal and the deputy attorney general who recommended it. And he took on Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel now leading the investigation into Russian meddling in last year’s election.
Mr. Trump said Mr. Mueller was running an office rife with conflicts of interest and warned investigators against delving into matters too far afield from Russia. Mr. Trump never said he would order the Justice Department to fire Mr. Mueller, nor would he outline circumstances under which he might do so. But he left open the possibility as he expressed deep grievance over an investigation that has taken a political toll in the six months since he took office.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Once again it seems there’s Trump and all his voters and then there’s everyone else. Sessions has always seemed like a good guy but at the end of the day he’s still a career politician. Trump isn’t part of the machine. Trump owes no favors and has never had to ‘play ball.’ Everyone else in D.C. has had to do so at least once or twice to get where they are now. EVERYONE.
Correct. The AG works in the Executive branch, for the President. He isn't some 4th branch of government.
And neither is the FBI, which works for the Justice Dept and the AG!
My gosh, it is maddening the way the press (and the FBI itself) peddles this claptrap that the FBI is there as yet another pseudo branch of government empowered with "oversight." That word is used in the press a thousand times a day. The FBI has no such power! It is Congress that has Constitutional oversight, and the FBI has stalled answers to them as to why they didn't investigate the DNC server, issue subpoenas, and why they granted immunity to all of Hillary's goons.
You're joking, right?
Trump is in a full blown war against the media, Congress, the Deep State, the Intelligence agencies, the FBI, a Special Counsel, former Obama officials, the UN, the Globalists, and most certainly a large contingent of the CIA. His family members have been put in the legal cross hairs. Trump has been mocked, threatened, and attacked (see video of his rallies during the campaign). Hollywood, leftist "professors", journalists, and other vermin issue tweets and statements that they want him assassinated.
Meanwhile, Jeff Sessions is out there talking about the D.A.R.E program.
Trump has done so, numerous times. According to leaks within the press, Trump has voiced his displeasure in private, and according to other previous stories, Trump let it be known in the press before this interview.
Sessions didn't take the subtle hints (obviously) because he is still in the job.
Moreover, any other maneuvers by Trump to turn Sessions around could be used by the media and Democrats to accuse Trump of "meddling" or "trying to influence ongoing investigations." Only Sessions has the power to fire Mueller, and that is the only ammunition his enemies need.
Recess appoitment next month.
Exactly.
I have to agree with you about the DARE program. That is not one of the things Sessions has done that I am particularly impressed with, nor the asset forfeiture. I just wonder if that publicity is also to camouflage some of the other ongoing actions or preparations.
You are also right, Trump has a lot of ongoing battles and is taking lots of abuse which would fell a lesser man. I don’t think that Jeff Sessions is responsible for any of it and I think President Trump is holding his own, albeit a bit frustrated.
President Trump is going to be trying some new tactics. Just as he has stopped having press conferences on camera for several weeks he is starting to rein in the Senate. After his amazing foreign trips its clear he has immense self control and master level strategy skills.
This press conference was in many ways inept on the surface; it seemed to be the caricature Trump his enemies suggest, shallow, petty, peevish and the choice of the NYTimes??? There’s a plan afoot and President Trump got an especial pleasure using the NYT to set the trap.
I had started off politely assuming the best in Sessions, that he had to be immune to blackmail. And I even got enthusiastic about him. I still believe he’s a patriot who cares, but most people with political careers have secrets that seem horrible to them [but most of those secrets aren’t so bad, such as Chief ‘Justice’ Roberts’ adoption secret].
Hillary has the goods on most of them. Trump needs a complete unknown to run the FBI — someone he vets ahead of time so that he can air out all the dirty laundry above board. NO secrets. Even Charlese Manson could go after her if he had nothing to hide.
I have had this feeling too.....if it is, its genius - I am a bit skeptical of this. Hope I’m wrong.
I still admire Sessions as a brave patriot, but Hillary has the goods on almost everyone. Look at what happened to Trafficant and so many others.
I believe she found a weak spot. He’s been doing an outstanding job in every respect other than Trump-v-Hillary. That’s been the pattern.
We need an FBI director and more importantly an Attorney General completely off the Beltway Radar — an unknown who Trump can vet and then be completely above board and ready to defend if something comes up.
I remain a Sessions admirer but he would become a legend if he comes clean — what does Hillary have on him? I bet it’s a minor thing, just enough to end his career.
!!!!!! What’s MORE important is that TRUMP is a fighter!!!!!!!
God bless President Trump!
If Sessions resigns now he could probably still get into the race and try and win his old Senate seat back.
Not if the Senate remains in session as Trump has requested.
Is that a pic of Sessions crying after Kamala Harris yelled at him?
The first is a timeline waypoint in relation to "muh Russia"
And very early in Trump's tenure, he fired then-acting attorney general Sally Yates [January 30], a holdover from the Obama administration while Sessions wasn't yet confirmed. At that point, the scope of the Russia investigation and its focus on the Trump team wasn't well known ...
The second involves the supposed reason for Sessions' to recuse.
Sessions wouldn't have even known there was reason to recuse himself when he was nominated, given his recusal had to do with his failure to report contacts with Russia's ambassador during the ensuing confirmation process.
Don’t forget that Trump had admitted something important to Rush ...
Trump had expected the vitriol to die down after he won.
That’s key in understanding this turnabout. They went after Trump’s son just a short time ago.
Trump’s had it with being Mr. Nice Guy.
If Hillary had blackmailed Sessions [seems to explain all the questions about him] and IF Sessions were to go public about it — he would become so famous it would shock everyone.
‘Damn right Donald Trump has a right to be angry at Jeff Sessions. Especially now with Donny Jr being involved in this Russia setup by Dems.’
I believe that’s the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Trump’s sending out a wakeup call — full steam ahead. He realizes that the Clinton-Obama machine is at war with all patriots.
He realizes this is TOTAL WAR.
He’s ready to do what’s needed to make that omlette and even if if means breaking the golden Sessions egg.
This is ridiculous.
Sessions is building a case against Rotten et al... and is probably working very hard.
He’s also going after MS-13 gang bangers and others...
Do people want him to have a press conference every day ? I don’t think that’s his style and I don’t think Trump wants him to do that. Not Trump’s style either (unless it’s Trump doing the press conference). And that makes perfect sense to me.
Trump was probably miffed at the recusal, but that is water under the bridge at this point. It was an honest answer!
I think people need to exercise patience before condemning AG Sessions as a disaster. Drudge is doing it too.
Come together people!! The libs love it when we’re fragmented and pessimistic. Don’t give those malcontents the pleasure !
GO TRUMP!!!
From Washington Compost:
“Sessions wouldn’t have even known there was reason to recuse himself when he was nominated, given his recusal had to do with his failure to report contacts with Russia’s ambassador during the ensuing confirmation process.”
Trump’s using an old leadership trick — put the monkey on the other guy’s back.
If Sessions had to recuse, that’s HIS problem, not Trump’s. If Sessions can’t do his job, that’s the bottom line.
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