By giving the president a reason to fire James Comey, the attorney general may have helped slow the flurry of investigations surrounding Russian meddling.
President Donald Trump was infuriated in early March when Jeff Sessions recused himself from any investigations related to the 2016 presidential campaign. And yet, despite being legally sidelined from the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election, the attorney general – the ultimate Trump loyalist — has now played an indispensable political role by helping slow it down.
The White House said that Sessions and his deputy Rod Rosenstein urged the president in a closed-door meeting Monday to fire FBI director James Comey, who had overseen the probe since its inception. At Trump’s request, Sessions had set forth their rationale in twin memos the following day. News of his meeting with the president – as well his memo, which advised Trump that “a fresh start is needed at the leadership of the FBI” – served as Trump’s first line of defense against accusations he had acted impetuously when he fired Comey without warning on Tuesday evening.
The drama was fresh evidence of Sessions’ role as a critical political player in the Trump cabinet. He has exhibited all the qualities of loyalty Trump most prizes: He was the first senator to endorse him, one of the only members of the upper chamber to embrace him enthusiastically during the presidential campaign, and, as his involvement in the Comey controversy demonstrates, has proved that he is willing to thrust himself into the breach and take political hits to advance the president’s interests.
The president has rewarded that loyalty with trust. At the Department of Justice, he now enjoys full authority over the federal law enforcement apparatus.
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It’s a dramatic turnaround for someone who defied a political near-death experience just weeks into his tenure. The president reacted with anger after Sessions decided to recuse himself from the investigations surrounding the 2016 election, which Trump worried would weaken his attorney general.
Sessions had pushed the idea of firing FBI director James Comey at the outset of the administration, according to several people familiar with his thinking.
What exactly prompted Sessions to make his recommendation on Comey this week remains unclear.
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By giving Trump a reason to fire Comey, Sessions may have helped slow the pace of investigations surrounding Russia https://t.co/Je8ocXkJjY pic.twitter.com/eJI12GECml
— POLITICO (@politico) May 11, 2017
“What exactly prompted Sessions to make his recommendation on Comey this week remains unclear.”
Ohhhhh…I think it’s crystal clear. There is no fool like an old fool. I lost any respect I had for Sessions a long time ago. Is this what he really had in mind for his legacy?
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