Ex-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
NPR reports as Coloradans toke up in celebration:
Jeff Sessions, the president’s earliest and most fervent supporter in Congress, stepped down as attorney general Wednesday after brutal criticism from the president, bringing an abrupt end to his controversial tenure as the nation’s top law enforcement officer.
President Trump wrote on Twitter after a marathon press conference at the White House that Sessions was out and that his chief of staff, Matthew Whittaker, would serve as an acting replacement.
Of course, there is that Russia thing.
With Sessions out, Trump may attempt to limit or end the probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller III into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign and whether the president himself obstructed justice.
But for today, smoke ’em if you got ’em Colorado! We’ll update with local reactions.
His replacement:
Mueller's investigation of Trump is going too far
Report will drop imminently, my guess is Friday afternoon.
Damn. Worse than I thought.
Wait until you see what replaces him….
There is a reason Jeanine Piro was in Cape Girardeau, MO earlier this week campaigning for Josh Hawley.
With the House flipped, Yammyfelon knows he needs his . . .
. . . Celebrity Apprentice – White House Edition; “Where’s my Roy Cohn?” . . .
. . . now!
If Trump fires Mueller & team – could a House committee then hire them and have them use what they know?
And now Rosenstein is no longer supervising the special counsel, despite what seem to be a significant number of ethics issues for the acting AG.
DOJ: Acting AG to take over oversight of Russia probe
He wants to see everything that they have produced so far so he can share it with Trump. Ordinary criminals only wish they had it this good.
Congress won't contest it until January, by which time the investigation could be well and truly buried.
Going to have to trust Mueller to spread the love to multiple jurisdictions as appropriate to avoid being smothered. Trying to find somewhere safe to hide his report on Trump will be the hardest part.
Congress may wait …
I expect Whitaker will need a formal review under existing DoJ standards for recusal, unless he wants a possibility of being added to an obstruction of justice report or actual criminal charge. And my recollection is Mueller's indictment power stays with him while he is acting on the existing instructions. Only any report has to be cleared by the AG or whoever takes charge when there is a recusal.
The DoJ has transferred authority away ftom Rosenstein already. They're not waiting for any stinkin' ethics review.
WAPO's story, today at 7:01 pm
So, no real oversight. Whitaker has no obvious conflicts of interest that we know of, just very strong opinions voiced publicly – which I'm sure didn't influence Trump's choice.
T***p knows he has to move fast. The sharks are circling and moving in…he has until January to try to finish the job of consolidating his power and protecting himself.
Now begins a full blown coup attempt. Trump will try to clamp down on the press, embolden and organize his own militia, and try to find a way to turn the US military against the American people…the non-white ones, anyway. He will stop at nothing. No outrage is too much…no lie too obvious…no betrayal too cruel.
He's been practicing…
Duke, you need to lie down and quaff a few of those craft beers that the West Slope is so good at making.
Yes, Trump stinks. But I used to be on the staff at West Point and can attest that our military would never violate our oaths to support the Constitution.
Yes, we're in for a rough ride as federalist society goons pervert our courts. But 27 states now have Democratic attorney generals.
The non-Fox press is still free, if impotent. The states are still a check on Trumpstink power.
Relax, have those beers. And stay upwind. All will be well in the end. The monster's days are numbered.
Thanks for the reassurance V., but I don't believe he will succeed. And, for the reason you state. He will not sway the military and no matter his effort, he will not win. I was merely stating my take on how far he will go.
He is a hollow man…one who needs daily doses of adulation and self indulgence to try to fill up the tiny, fearful, soul that has produced and continues to drive the tortured mind that is the 45th president. History will not be kind to him or the people who abetted him.
Amen to that, Brother. He already ranks as the worst president in our history, by far.
Chris Christie reported at the White House, in full kissee kissee Trump butt mode. Still wants to be attorney general.
How long, oh lord, how long?
He still has indictments to clear up, too. Doesn't he?
Not to mention that Jared and Ivanka will put the kibosh on any appointment of Governor Donuts as AG.
OTOH, Rudy Giuliani has crawled out of his hole and tweeted today that Hillary Clinton's lawyers are trying to steal the Florida senate seat from Rick Scott. I guess his long vacation is over and he is back.