The writing is on the wall for Attorney General Jeff Sessions. And that writing has the unmistakable color of pink to it.
It’s blatantly obvious that President Trump wants to remove Jeff Sessions from the job of Attorney General. We’ve known as much since last summer when Trump first started fuming that Sessions had recused himself from the Special Counsel investigation into Russia meddling in the 2016 campaign. (RELATED: Trump Taunts Jeff Sessions Over His Inability to Control the DOJ and Investigate Real Corruption.)
Trump has so far held off – correctly, in my opinion – in firing Sessions because he doesn’t want to spook Robert Mueller and add more fuel to his case, which has now transformed into an obstruction of justice case, rather than collusion. Trump doesn’t want to give the impression that he’s further impeding on Mueller’s investigation, which is something he may have inadvertently done by firing corrupt FBI head James Comey.
When Trump first started indicating he was considering firing Sessions, the newly-minted A.G. had a number of former colleagues come to his defense, including Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Graham went as far as to say, “there will be hell to pay,” should Trump give Sessions his walking papers.
It looks like the good ol’ boy from South Carolina changed his tune. Senator Graham actually revealed last week when Trump is likely to fire Sessions. (RELATED: Lindsey Graham Reveals When Donald Trump Will Likely Fire Jeff Sessions.)
WATCH: Sen. Lindsey Graham goes from “there will be holy hell to pay” if Jeff Sessions is fired to “there will be some serious discussions about a new Attorney General” pic.twitter.com/WmlSKYfeoD
— TheBeat w/Ari Melber (@TheBeatWithAri) August 24, 2018
Graham’s change of heart came as a shock to some. But we’ve known for a while that Sessions has been dragging his feet in pushing the Justice Department to hand over to Congress crucial documents related to the FBI’s hijinks in investigating the Trump campaign under Obama. (RELATED: Nunes Accuses DOJ Of ‘Obstruction’ In Battle Over FBI Informant Documents.)
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Now we know why Graham changed his mind on Sessions: Trump has actually been lobbying senators to drop their support of Sessions, a move many are seeing as a precursor to his eventual firing.
From Politico:
The president, who has spent a year and a half fulminating against his attorney general in public, finally got traction on Capitol Hill thanks to the growing frustration of a handful of GOP senators with their former colleague – most importantly, Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, who have been irritated by Sessions’ opposition to a criminal justice reform bill they support, according to interviews with more than a half-dozen congressional GOP aides, Trump advisers, and Republicans close to the White House.
Trump raised the prospect of firing Sessions last week in a phone conversation with Graham, according to two Capitol Hill aides, who said that Graham pressed the president to hold off until after the midterm elections. The president has also complained loudly about Sessions to several Republican senators, according to a GOP chief staff.
Trump is berating Sessions to “any Senator who will listen.” Hates his Southern accent, says he “talks like he has marbles in his mouth” — https://t.co/1gvRafnrIA
— Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) August 29, 2018
Well, that explains it. Without the support of his former colleagues in the Senate, and the near-guarantee of a non-eventful confirmation for the new Attorney General, it looks like Jeff Sessions is truly dead in the water.
