“If President Trump only had an Attorney General who wasn’t part of The Swamp.....”
Watching his behavior through the campaign and during his term as attorney general, plus talking to someone who knows him personally, I’ve come to the following conclusions about Sessions:
1) Intellectually he is not as bright as many of those working against Trump and Sessions. He reacts to events, he doesn’t develop strategy and orchestrate events. He just doesn’t have the brainpower of a Trump, a Rosenstein, many of the media stars or most of the implanted Obama appointees filling the bureaucracy at DOJ. That’s why he recused himself immediately when challenged instead of waiting to sit with Trump and develop a strategy. The smarter Rosenstein convinced him to take immediate, and detrimental action. Even if Sessions had not recused himself and lost Trump’s confidence, he would not be an effective attorney general today because he doesn’t have the smarts to fight the forces against him.
2) Trump shunned Sessions and kicked him out of the inner circle due to the stupid recusal. Kelly and other advisors convinced Trump the political fallout for firing Sessions would be too great so Sessions is now a powerless placeholder no one respects or fears inside the DOJ. To the degree anyone is in charge at DOJ it is Rosenstein but Rosenstein is not close to the president. The power vacuum means, the entrenched liberals i the bureaucracy at DOJ are free to gum up the works and collude with the media in the anti Trump crusade. Meanwhile the sitting AG is completely emasculated and his role is limited to the war on drugs.
3) For a long time Washington politician, Sessions is reasonably clean and decent. Likely he is an honorable man who has avoided being corrupted. He has great pride in his public service and accomplishments. He loves the country and wants to serve the nation in its hour of crisis. He absorbed in silence Trump’s public humiliation of him due to his sense of loyalty for the institution of the presidency. His love for country and pride keep him from resigning voluntarily. Decency and honor also prevents him from fighting on the level of his opponents.
The emasculation of Sessions by Rosenstein and Trump himself means the DOJ is impotent in the current political environment. Unlike Obama, who effectively used the DOJ as a political weapon against his enemies, Trump’s DOJ is one of the forces against him.
If Trump had understood the Washington swamp going in he would not have awarded Sessions the AG job going in. It appears Trump rewarded Sessions, a decent man, with the AG job for his loyalty and support in the campaign. Trump didn’t understand how critical the AG role would be and that he needed the brightest, meanest and most capable street fighting attorney he could find in the job.
The Democrats and the press would like nothing more than Trump to fire Sessions and create a Watergate public relations firestorm leading to impeachment. Enough RINO Republicans would pile on with the Democrats in the ensuing media frenzy to make it impossible for Trump to get an effective attorney, loyal to him, through Senate confirmation. The worst case fallout would be a relentless and ongoing chorus crying for impeachment including GOP leaders Flake, Sasse, Corker, Kasich, McCain (if alive) and a few others expressing “grave concern”. At minimum Democrats and RINO’s would demand and get a Washington insider which would make the current situation worse.
Timing is everything and the Sessions resignation must wait a few months until Trump has put the Russia investigation behind him and the Democrats can be put on the run with the Uranium One scandal.
Great overall post.
Regarding this, “He reacts to events, he doesn’t develop strategy and orchestrate events.”
I noticed that very clearly this last week during some oversight hearings where he was responding to questions. He really seemed stupid, not in charge, not leading, no strategy, no orchestration - just responding.