November 7, 2018

"President Trump forced out Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday, ending a partnership that soured almost from the start of the administration..."

"... and degenerated into one of the most acrimonious public standoffs between a commander in chief and a senior cabinet member in modern American history. Mr. Sessions’s resignation, made at the president’s request, was being delivered to John Kelly, Mr. Trump’s chief of staff. It came just a day after midterm elections in which Democrats captured control of the House, but Republican success in holding onto the Senate and building their slim majority may make it easier for the president to confirm a successor.... Mr. Trump never forgave Mr. Sessions [for recusing himself from the Mueller investigation], and over the next year and a half, his complaints about Mr. Sessions on Twitter and in his public comments became more pointed and insulting....  As attorney general, Mr. Sessions made a forceful mark on the Justice Department. He rolled back some of President Barack Obama’s signature policies as he encouraged federal prosecutors to pursue the toughest possible charges and sentences against criminal suspects. He successfully advised Mr. Trump to rescind Mr. Obama’s program protecting nearly 700,000 young immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children. He sued California over its sanctuary laws and targeted states that legalized marijuana."

The NYT reports.

126 comments:

I Callahan said...

This is good and bad. The bad is that no Attorney General has ever pushed the immigration fixes like Sessions did. Trump will be lucky to get a replacement who'll do anything that bold.

The good is that maybe we'll get this Rosenstein / Mueller mess over with in a hurry, finally.

Jim at said...

The bad is that no Attorney General has ever pushed the immigration fixes like Sessions did.

Except, most likely, his replacement.

And maybe his replacement can actually stay awake long enough to clean out the festering shithole that is the DOJ.

This is great news.

Kate said...

And Kobach lost in KS...hmm.

AZ Bob said...

This was expected when Nikki Haley announced her resignation. Look for Lindsey Graham to be next AG and Haley to be next senator from South Carolina.

I Callahan said...

Except, most likely, his replacement.

I hope you're right. But I wouldn't hold my breath...

I Callahan said...

If AZ Bob is right, that shoot's Jim's point out of the water. Lindsey Graham fixing immigration? Not likely...

tim in vermont said...

Only weeks after he was confirmed as the United States’ top law enforcement officer, Mr. Sessions became ensnared in the Russia inquiries that have consumed Mr. Trump’s presidency.

More fake news/wishcasting from the New York Times. He seems to get a lot done for a president who is “consumed” and he does it without any wag-the-dog type wars of the kind Clinton used.

tim in vermont said...

You know, almost everything I care about he can get done without the Ryano House he was saddled with. It would have been nice to get the wall funded and that will never happen this Congress, but judgeships and treaties and deregulation will continue apace.

steve uhr said...

Rosenstein presumably will no longer oversee the Mueller investigation. However, the investigation is so far along I think it would be difficult for the new Acting AG to fundamentally change its course.

john said...

Maybe the new AG will reverse the harsh support Sessions gave to civil asset forfeiture. Maybe. Trump never even grunted at Sessions renewed government power grab. My guess is Trump had no opinion back then and will go with what Graham(?) wants. Let's hope, but I have no faith either will walk back on this travesty.

bagoh20 said...

Are you sure he was Attorney General? Maybe nobody told him.

YoungHegelian said...

I think Jeff Sessions was meant to be a pay-back to the religious conservatives for backing Trump. He was supposed to prevent shit, like, oh, taking the Little Sisters of the Poor before the Supreme Court.**

Since there haven't been anymore DoJ suits against religious entities filed under this administration, I guess Sessions could be considered successful in that regard. I know that's not a high bar to pass, but It's better than what came before.

** I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when the Obama DoJ was plotting out this case before the SCOTUS. Did anyone in the Obama DoJ ever say publicly "Little Sisters of the Poor --- SCOTUS. Little Sisters of the Poor --- SCOTUS. Izzit just me or does anyone else think that the optics of this case are really, really, bad?'

Mr. Majestyk said...

I always liked Michael Mukasey, although I am not sure about how seriously he would address illegal immigration.

Rabel said...

This is excellent news. The incoming Democrat majority in the House would have walked all over the guy.

Mike Sylwester said...

I liked Senator Jeff Sessions, but he turned out to be a disaster as Attorney General.

He should not have recused himself from the RussiaGate hoax.

Rather, he should have spent a couple of weeks studying the matter.

Then he should have made a public announcement that this FBI "investigation" was essentially similar to the FBI's "investigation" of Martin Luther King in the 1960s. During that previous period, a cabal at the top of the FBI wanted to remove King from his leadership of the Civil Rights Movement. In order to do so, the FBI cabal used "Russian meddling in US politics" as a bogus pretext to wiretap King's life. The cabal then leaked information from the wiretaps to King-hating journalists.

Sessions should have explained that now an FBI cabal was using similar tactics against Donald Trump. Therefore Sessions was terminating the FBI cabal's bogus "investigation" immediately and soon would issue a public report along with all relevant documents declassified.

J. Farmer said...

Kris Kobach is looking for a job, and he is one of the few who can be trusted on immigration. Sessions was one of the few cabinet picks I really liked. Unfortunately the President has not done such a great job identifying new and fresh talent from the Trumpist movement. A lot of his staffing picks have been straight out of GOP Inc central casting.

Nonapod said...

Nobody should really be surprised by this, it was telegraphed for months.

Personally I'm glad he's gone. I never cared much for the guy for a number of reasons. He was a tedious old timey drug warrior who seemed to be highly reluctant to do anything about the filthy corrupt pile of excrement that is our current Justice Department (not to mention the FBI and other intelligence agencies).

Bill Harshaw said...

Who would want to work for a boss who treated his predecessor as poorly as Trump did Sessions?

Francisco D said...

Sessions was one of the few cabinet picks I really liked. Unfortunately the President has not done such a great job identifying new and fresh talent from the Trumpist movement. A lot of his staffing picks have been straight out of GOP Inc central casting.

What did you like about Sessions?

Isn't he from GOP Central Casting?

PatHMV said...

We could see Trey Gowdy as AG. The President needs a fighter as AG, as the new House majority turns into investigation central. In recent years, both parties have complained, at various times, that the executive branch bureaucracy would not properly honor congressional subpoenas. The bureaucracy even got the better of President Trump a few months back after he tried to order a few key documents declassified. I suspect the new AG will have a mandate... when the House issues subpoenas for DOJ or other executive branch documents that have been mainly classified to protect the bureaucrats rather than actual national secrets, the AG will turn LOTS over. Including most especially stuff that the Obama Administration folks would much rather not be disclosed. Brennan, Clapper, and others should be worried about what a new, fiery AG may disclose from deep in the files.

Mike Sylwester said...

In recent months, Sessions has allowed the DOJ/FBI cabal to persecute a Russian young woman who was supporting the National Rifle Association while studying political science in the USA.

This persecution of this Russian young woman is separate from the investigation being conducted by Robert "The FBI Whitewasher" Mueller.

Sessions should not have tolerated this anti-Russian hysteria in the DOJ/FBI. He should have terminated all such DOJ/FBI investigations of "Russian meddling in US politics". Every DOJ/FBI zealot pushing any such "investigations" should have been transferred immediately to offices in the far-western margins of Alaska.

gilbar said...

if Sessions had told Trump that he would recuse himself if appointed...
Trump would have picked someone else, and Sessions would have stayed a senator
Moore and his teenaged play dates would never have come up
There would have been another repub senate vote, and Kavenaugh would have been voted right in
There wouldn't have been the huge outcry, and Who the HELL Knows what that would have meant

Whatifs are fun!

Achilles said...

There was almost nothing redeeming in Sessions tenure.

More war on drugs crap and emphasis on civil forfeiture.

Complete abdication of responsibility on pursuing criminals all over the government. 0 leak prosecutions.

We have had 51 "republicans" for the last 2 years and that 51 included democrats Collins, Graham, Murkowski, Flake, Corker, Sasse and McCain.

There will be 55 "republican" senators soon. 52 of them are actually republicans now.

Collins tells about how the leftist thugs camping at her house changed her and Graham has been replaced by a completely different person.

The cuck wing democrats are down to Sasse, Murkowski, and have added Romney to the fold.

In effect we went from 44 republicans to 52. Even if the Graham and Collins transformations are insincere that leaves 50.

I expect a real AG to be appointed and confirmed shortly after the next session begins.

mezzrow said...

Who would want to work for a boss who treated his predecessor as poorly as Trump did Sessions?

We'll have a name soon.

Balfegor said...

Re: Francisco D:

What did you like about Sessions?

Isn't he from GOP Central Casting?


He was easily the strongest and most consistent GOP Senator on immigration issues. I think that's mostly what people liked (and like) about him.

J. Farmer said...

@Francisco D:

Sessions is one of thew few Republicans to get immigration right. Most of the GOP was desperately trying to sell out the base on immigration in the form of the "Gang of Eight" amnesty.

Achilles said...

PatHMV said...
We could see Trey Gowdy as AG.

We better not. He is not the answer. He "retired" because he is not willing to fight and wanted a cushy k-street position.

He let Clinton run him around in circles.

No.

mockturtle said...

We could see Trey Gowdy as AG.

I've been urging Trump for two years to make Gowdy AG.

Achilles said...

Kate said...
And Kobach lost in KS...hmm.

WTF happened in Kansas yesterday?

steve uhr said...

"If Sessions had told Trump that he would recuse himself if appointed...
Trump would have picked someone else, and Sessions would have stayed a senator"

Why didn't Trump's attorneys simply read the rule before picking Sessions? Pretty clear Sessions had no choice but recusal given his role in the campaign:


(a) Unless authorized under paragraph (b) of this section, no employee shall participate in a criminal investigation or prosecution if he has a personal or political relationship with:

(1) Any person or organization substantially involved in the conduct that is the subject of the investigation or prosecution; or

(2) Any person or organization which he knows has a specific and substantial interest that would be directly affected by the outcome of the investigation or prosecution.


(b) An employee assigned to or otherwise participating in a criminal investigation or prosecution who believes that his participation may be prohibited by paragraph (a) of this section shall report the matter and all attendant facts and circumstances to his supervisor at the level of section chief or the equivalent or higher. If the supervisor determines that a personal or political relationship exists between the employee and a person or organization described in paragraph (a) of this section, he shall relieve the employee from participation unless he determines further, in writing, after full consideration of all the facts and circumstances, that:

(1) The relationship will not have the effect of rendering the employee's service less than fully impartial and professional; and

(2) The employee's participation would not create an appearance of a conflict of interest likely to affect the public perception of the integrity of the investigation or prosecution.


(c) For the purposes of this section:

(1) Political relationship means a close identification with an elected official, a candidate (whether or not successful) for elective, public office, a political party, or a campaign organization, arising from service as a principal adviser thereto or a principal official thereof; and

(2) Personal relationship means a close and substantial connection of the type normally viewed as likely to induce partiality. An employee is presumed to have a personal relationship with his father, mother, brother, sister, child and spouse. Whether relationships (including friendships) of an employee to other persons or organizations are ''personal'' must be judged on an individual basis with due regard given to the subjective opinion of the employee.

(d) This section pertains to agency management and is not intended to create rights enforceable by private individuals or organizations.

tim in vermont said...

WTF happened in Kansas yesterday?

“What’s the Matter with Kansas?” It’s been asked before.

Mike Sylwester said...

The new Attorney General should order DOJ/FBI to publish a report detailing the origins and development of the RussiaGate hoax.

Get it over with. Stop the foot-dragging and stone-walling.

Simply tell what happened, punish the guilty, improve policies and procedures -- and put all of this behind DOJ/FBI as soon as possible.

The FBI has made itself the enemy of the Republican Party, which had been the party that supported the FBI most loyally in past decades.

Dave Begley said...

That was quick!

Lindsay Graham said he will not take the job. Why would he?

FIDO said...


Who would want to work for a boss who treated his predecessor as poorly as Trump did Sessions?


Who would want to work for the Clintons considering how likely you are to be indicted or getting a severe case of 'dead' when working for them?

It goes both ways, cupcake.

iowan2 said...

PatHMV said...
We could see Trey Gowdy as AG. The President needs a fighter as AG


I liked Gowdy alot when he was being interviewed, or speechifying. Not so much when I expected to see results. He sees himself as a DOJ insider from the word go. He has refused to go after the corruption, and take scalps. It's not in him to lock up his brothers and sisters. He may clean house, but airing the dirty laundry to full public examination is what is needed. Gowdy won't.

Mike Sylwester said...

Rudy Giuliani would be a good Attorney General in this situation.

jimbino said...

Good riddance to a fascist. Now, how do we get rid of the future problem of Pence?

iowan2 said...

steve uhr said...

Why didn't Trump's attorneys simply read the rule before picking Sessions? Pretty clear Sessions had no choice but recusal given his role in the campaign:


Bullshit!
This is why Republicans are always back peddling, and Democrats wield more electoral power, even when not in power.

Rosenstein is a principle in both obstruction of justice, and Russian Collusion. As the person that wrote the memo to can Comey, and his signing of FISA warrants to spy on Presidents Trumps campaign. Rosenstein is a witness to most of the Mueller investigation. So exactly how is a witness expempt from these self written rules you find to critical.

Achilles said...

Mike Sylwester said...
Rudy Giuliani would be a good Attorney General in this situation.


Mark Levin would be my dream choice.

Achilles said...

jimbino said...
Good riddance to a fascist. Now, how do we get rid of the future problem of Pence?

He is GHWB 2 waiting to screw us again.

Lucien said...

I thought that the Mueller probe had to be overseen by someone confirmed by the Senate, and that met S.G. Noel Francisco (who has his own problems based on partnership in Jones Day). Am I wrong on this or did the NYT screw up bigly?

buwaya said...

Rosenstein going to the White House as per the NY Post.

He has been removed from oversight of Mueller.

https://nypost.com/2018/11/07/rod-rosenstein-no-longer-overseeing-russia-probe/

Yancey Ward said...

Sessions should have offered his resignation the day he recused himself. The recusal left the investigation in the hands of the Obama DoJ- an error I guarantee you that Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch would never have made in a similar circumstance. Really, can you even imagine for a second that either Holder or Lynch would have resigned leaving an investigation like in the hands of a Bush appointee?

It probably wasn't a conspiracy because the people involved aren't terribly bright, but the way things played out, they couldn't have planned the sequence of events better- the Senate Democrats made a point to bring up Sessions' innocent and forgotten meetings with the Russian Ambassador, made sure to get Rosenstein- apparently picked with Schumer's approval- quickly approved after Yates' firing, and then James Comey and his holdover team was ready to roll, but then Comey got his ass fired, so Rosenstein decided to go with the "independent" counsel.

Trump can be blamed for a lot of this- he should have fired the entire lot of Obama holdovers the day took the oath- I wrote as much at the time, and he should not have appointed any career DoJ or FBI officials to any position of power. What an error.

I Callahan said...

It gets better:

Rosenstein no longer overseeing Russia probe

Wow...

Jim at said...

Look for Lindsey Graham to be next AG ...

I could be wrong, but I don't see it that way.
Trump knows he won't win in 2020 without fixing illegal immigration.

Graham 2.0 is a nice change. But we all know he's still Graham 1.0 when it comes to that. We'll see.

Jim at said...

Good riddance to a fascist.

Why do people like you continue to use words you don't understand?

Yancey Ward said...

I liked Sessions, but I would never have picked him for AG- someone that old just isn't likely to have the stamina, and I don't particularly like even the focus of the things he did do while in office, but the fact is that he never looked like someone in charge of jackshit at the DoJ, and that alone is reason enough to fire him.

I Callahan said...

Good riddance to a fascist. Now, how do we get rid of the future problem of Pence?

Get your tubes tied yet?

Yancey Ward said...

Graham will not be the new AG. If it were me, I would pick Nunes just to scare the piss out of Brennan and Clapper, but that is probably the wrong guy, too. A solid, youngish, conservative federal judge might might be willing to take it on.

Yancey Ward said...

If Ted Cruz had lost last night, he would have made the perfect pick this morning.

Leland said...

I can't imagine Lindsey Graham being a pick by Trump. Even the changes of the past month wouldn't warrant Graham as AG. Gowdy would be interesting, but I agree with iowan2 that Gowdy spoke loudly and opted for no stick. Giuliani has been embarrassing as a legal advisor to the President, so I'd hope Trump would look elsewhere. I know nothing about Kobach, except what I just looked up. Of the names mentioned here so far, I can understand Kobach as a choice.

Mike Sylwester said...

Exactly who at the FBI decided that the dossier was reasonable grounds to open this investigation?

Exactly who at the FBI decided that George Papadopoulos and Carter Page should be investigated as being Russian spies?

How did this bogus, abusive investigation get started?

The public still does not have a clue about such basic facts -- and a lot of effort is being expended to prevent the public from ever becoming informed about those facts.

Yancey Ward said...

Sessions had to either un-recuse himself (he could have done so at any time), or he had to go. Without an new AG, the Mueller probe will still be going on until 2024 if Trump wins reelection. Mueller should have been given a firm deadline a year and half ago, but will get one soon. I predict he will be forced to wrap this up by the time the new Congress sits. If you got something, write the report, if you don't, time to end it.

Larry J said...

Sessions came from the Senate where getting along is a big part of the job. I want someone who will enforce the law regardless of the political party of the accused when it comes to corrupt politicians and government employees (Hillary) who break the law.

jimbino said...

Jim asks: Why do people like you continue to use words you don't understand?

Merriam-Webster says that Fascism “…is a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.”

According to Wikipedia:

In 1996, Sessions promoted state legislation in Alabama that sought to punish a second drug trafficking conviction, including for dealing marijuana, with a mandatory minimum death sentence.

On October 5, 2005, Sessions was one of nine Senators who voted against a Senate amendment to a House bill that prohibited cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment of individuals in the custody or under the physical control of the United States Government.

In the 114th United States Congress, Sessions earned a zero rating from the Human Rights Campaign, the United States' largest LGBTQ advocacy group. He voted against the Matthew Shepard Act, which added acts of bias-motivated violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity to federal hate-crimes law, commenting that it "has been said to cheapen the civil rights movement".[251] Sessions "believes that a marriage is union between a man and a woman, and has routinely criticized the U.S. Supreme Court and activist lower courts when they try to judicially redefine marriage".

Rocketeer said...

Why all the surprise about Rosenstein being removed from Mueller oversight? The only reason he was given that portfolio in the first place was because the AG had recused himself. Now that Sessions is gone, the acting AG can pick it up.

wildswan said...

I used to listen to Sessions on talk radio before the 2016 election and he was very impressive on the issues of that time. And he carried through on those issues as AG, doing just what he said he would do. So I give him marks for that. But really challenging the Dems created a whole new world as everyone above is saying and I think someone whose had some years to realize the changes would be better at taking on the Swamp. People try to pretend Trump is the issue but, Walker his personality opposite, had almost exactly the same problems and was attacked in the same way - impeach, recall, march, demean in the press, dawn raids on supporters, ignore good news, polarized press. The problem is the Swamp and what it does to strike back at challengers. And we need a Swamp challenger, a Ted Cruz or Trey Gowdy type, who also will not pointlessly challenge Trump in an ego-driven way.

Matt Sablan said...

One of the major differences between Trump and Obama/Bush, is that Trump is fine getting rid of staff that fail him.

gspencer said...

We had such high hopes with Sessions. During the 2016 campaign he was an effective helper to the Don. When he came into the administration we all thought, this guy has gravitas and experience.

And what? A complete putz.

Jim at said...

Shorter Jimbino: Anybody I don't like politically is a fascist.

You know - considering we're Nazis and all that - you'd think we'd be sad to see such a fascist being shown the door. Yet ....

Mike Sylwester said...

A transcript of the recent interview of George Papadopoulos

Read it! It's chock-full of fascinating information.

The effort to frame George Papadopoulos as being a Russian agent is amazing. The FBI was not the only agency, but it played a key role.

The effort's ultimate purpose was to frame Donald Trump.

The new Attorney General must break through the stone-walling and inform the public what happened.

Original Mike said...

Blogger Mike Sylwester said...”The new Attorney General should order DOJ/FBI to publish a report detailing the origins and development of the RussiaGate hoax.”

This.

Matt Sablan said...

A lot of people should be fired. Every single person who made deals with reporters that they found in the earlier reports? Fired.

Gone. Poof.

YoungHegelian said...

@gspencer,

And what? A complete putz.

As a fellow Alabama boy like Jeff Sessions, I must protest the ethnic inappropriateness of referring to a good Son of Ol' Dixie by a Yiddish insult.

The ethnically proper term would be "A complete peckerhead."

Thank you for your time.

Original Mike said...

Jeff Sessions has always been a putz.

Robert Cook said...

"Rudy Giuliani would be a good Attorney General in this situation."

Yeesh! Rudy is like a combination of the worst qualities of Trump and Sessions.

Original Mike said...

Blogger I Callahan said...”It gets better:
Rosenstein no longer overseeing Russia probe
Wow”


Given what we have learned despite the DOJ’s best efforts, it is outrageous that Rosenstein remained in charge of the Russia investigation.

tcrosse said...

You don't have to be Jewish to be a putz. Or a schmuck.

The Vault Dweller said...

I wonder who the NYT's source is that Trump forced Jeff Sessions out? Certainly Trump has been very public about how he is upset that Sessions isn't doing anything/able to do anything regarding the Russian Probe. But that doesn't mean that Trump called up Sessions on Tuesday or Wednesday morning and told him, "I want your resignation." I could see Jeff Sessions offering up his resignation on his own, so as to no longer hobble the Administration.

Robert Cook said...

"More fake news/wishcasting from the New York Times. He seems to get a lot done for a president who is “consumed” and he does it without any wag-the-dog type wars of the kind Clinton used."

You mean any new wars, right? 'cuz we're still involved in several wars right now.

The current illegal alien "crisis" and its caravan of alleged MS13 gangsters and middle-eastern members of ISIS coming to kill us all is Trump's wag-the-dog event.

Original Mike said...

I wish to revise and extend my remarks:

Jeff Sessions has always been a putz/peckerhead.

Jersey Fled said...

Rudy didn't really distinguish himself as Trump's lawyer. Not a good choice.

Robert Cook said...

"I wonder who the NYT's source is that Trump forced Jeff Sessions out?"

The real question: who is not their source for this?

YoungHegelian said...

@tcrosse,

You don't have to be Jewish to be a putz. Or a schmuck.

But it helps!**

With apologies to Feldman's Kosher Pickles

Kevin said...

Alas, poor Jeff. Trump hardly knew ye.

Mike Sylwester said...

Could Papadopoulos Blow The Russia Hoax Wide Open?, written by retired FBI special agent Mark Wauck

Bay Area Guy said...

Sessions' recusal was such a rookie mistake. He should have (a) not recused himself or (b) just resigned, and got some other nice gig at the right time and place.

A complete abdication from responsibility, which gave Rosenstein the green light to go to town with Mueller.

You live and learn.

buwaya said...

Jimbino,

None of that makes Sessions a fascist. All in all he seems like what Europeans would call a Christian Democrat. Of the old school, 1990's and earlier.

Rabel said...

"I wonder who the NYT's source is that Trump forced Jeff Sessions out?"

"At your request, I am submitting my resignation."

-J. Sessions

langford peel said...

None of the usual suspects pushed by "conventional wisdom" are in line to be Attorney General. It will not be Rudy or Kobavh or Lady Graham or Trey Gowdy. It will be the same thing as the new FBI director Wray. Somebody you never heard of from under the radar.

langford peel said...

He can name some obscure US Attorney who can carry out the hit on Mueller and Rosenberg. Watch and see.

phantommut said...

Good riddance. His positions on civil asset forfeiture and the "war on drugs" should have disqualified him before he ever took office.

narciso said...

you have to understand this not as a swamp, but as a minefield with tripwire, Rosenstein is the tripwire, mueller is the mine, you can't cut the tripwire directly so you have to go around, like indy did replace the idol, in the temple,

narciso said...

I'm crossing metaphors, but whittaker is trying to bypass the traps set by sapper Rosenstein,

narciso said...

it was the same 'banana in the tail pipe,' trick from 14 year earlier, Ashcroft, comey, mueller, fitzgerald,goldsmith followed sessions, Rosenstein, strzok, mccabe and mueller, it's an inexact parallel, wray and james baker were in reserve, you look through gelman savage, lichtblau's account of the march 2004 crisis,

FIDO said...

you have to understand this not as a swamp, but as a minefield with tripwire, Rosenstein is the tripwire, mueller is the mine, you can't cut the tripwire directly so you have to go around, like indy did replace the idol, in the temple,

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Indiana Jones failed with that trick. Just saying

narciso said...

Ashcroft had to recuse because of rove, sessions because of kislyak, who 30 senators had on their speed dial, they never did release the transcripts of sessions aides interview, oh with the detail that eickenrode did the initial interviews of libby and rove like strzok did with Flynn and company,

langford peel said...

This clears the way for President Trump to legalize pot.

The Democrats in Congress are sure to go along with that.

Trumpit said...

If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

langford peel said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
narciso said...

I said it was inexact, you can't just fire mueller right off the back, because he has a dead man switch, you couldn't remove Flynn, unless you had a replacement, for boente, who was yates replacement, and that couldn't happen till after sessions was confirmed, but Rosenstein was the joker in the deck,

Now the secondary tripwire was the one set with halper and mifsud through page, and Papadopoulos, both had Russian ties, halper through truibnikov, mifsud through Timofeev,

langford peel said...

You lay down with Trumpit you get up with AIDS.

narciso said...

mifsud also has general intelligence, aka Saudi, and other ties, of course there are tangential ties with the creepy sideshow, who was siphoning contributions from beto,

Rabel said...

1. Pardon Michael Cohen.

2. Appoint him AG.

3. Profit!

narciso said...

so on paper, this investigation looks legit, but you look closer, it's just smoke and mirrors, much like the Erdogan info op, which is ongoing,

narciso said...

kobach would be a proper fit, focusing on sessions key priority, immigration enforcement, but that's only part of the story,

buwaya said...

" tangential ties with the creepy sideshow, who was siphoning contributions from beto,"

O'Rourke campaign also served as a money-laundering channel to operations in Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. Probably for all sorts of other stuff too. O'Rourke campaign could not spend the money he was being given.

A political campaign is a very convenient way to launder money actually, in terms of taking legit money and passing it to illegit receivers.

buwaya said...

" both had Russian ties, halper through truibnikov, mifsud through Timofeev,"

True. And the whole incident with Natalia Veselnitskaya who is tied to Putin through Katsyv. And invited in, and cleared, by US Government entities of the previous administration.

Makes you wonder just who was playing footsie with the Russians.

narciso said...

isn't it, where did all this money go, O'Rourke didn't spend nearly that much on ads, the press was doing that work for him, with purple prose resembling a harlequin romance,

bagoh20 said...

I'll tell you one thing. Under the same circumstances, no Obama or Clinton appointee would recuse themselves. The people who should recuse themselves never do, becuase they have dirty work to do, and you can't trust that stuff to somebody else.

iowan2 said...

Mike Sylwester said...

The effort to frame George Papadopoulos as being a Russian agent is amazing. The FBI was not the only agency, but it played a key role.


To my mind, the involvement of MI6, and the state depts of Australia, and the UK are the most corrupt angles. This was coordinated by Brennen, and Katsup-Kerry. Brennan knew he couldn't do the spying(that would violate the law, after all) but nothing to stop him from letting his friends from the other 5I's do the wet work. All aided by the appropriate State Depts. The Kerry state dept has refused to release asked for communications.

narciso said...

yes indeed, because they weren't doing anything resembling real intelligence, but political skullduggery for partisan ends,

MacMacConnell said...

Why wouldn't Trump want a AG capable of running guns to Mexican cartels, meeting rapist on the tarmac and ignoring Congressional subpoenas? Oh and lying.

Drago said...

Trumpit: "If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas."

Hillary and the dems are unable to wash away their Russian fleas....even when using, like, a cloth!

rcocean said...

Sessions was ANOTHER of these "I'd rather behave like a Gentleman, and obey all the rules than win" kinda guy.

So, he recused himself. Well bully for him.

And now he's out of a job.

rcocean said...

No doubt all the Democrats who cheered him for recusing himself, will welcome him with open arms, forget his conservative views, and give him a great job and plenty of awards for his bang-up job as AG.

Yep.

I'm sure that will happen.

rcocean said...

Trump needed someone to defend him. Not some weak-kneed legal beagle who appoints a DAG who caved and gave Mueller a blank check.

Trump also thought Sessions was "Low Energy" and a bad public speaker.

Sadly, right on both counts.

YoungHegelian said...

Let's not forget that this isn't the first time a President & his Attorney General mutually loathed each other. Pres. Clinton & AG Janet Reno apparently detested each other. Sadly, because Reno was a high-visibility female appointee, Clinton couldn't out & out fire her, so he did the dishonorable thing instead: he completely undercut her & made her a figurehead in her own department. The real power behind the throne at DoJ was Clinton crony, Webster Hubbell.

At least, Trump, whatever his faults, is seemingly open & above board with his firings. It sure looks like if you're on Trump's shit list, not only you, but the whole electorate knows it. "Transparency in Government", indeed!

I often wonder if the incompetence of the response at Waco had something to do with crossed signals from the top of DoJ. That's unfortunately a topic for a future historian, I'm afraid.

tim in vermont said...

Pot is now a state's right issue. I don't agree with legalizing it, having my own life experience with pot heads, but R's should legalize it on those grounds, and Dems because the lower the general IQ, the better they do in elections.

narciso said...

Well the American spectator suggested the atf was looking for a budget increase so only an active operation not a quick snatch and grab, it went horribly wrong.

MikeD said...

I believe he wanted somebody as AG he could depend on to support the Holder rule regarding House subpoenas.

Big Mike said...

Jeff Sessions is used to being a person with political clout who is courted within a collegial environment. Trump, the businessman, is used to telling his subordinates “This is what I want; make it happen.”

Big Mike said...

I wonder whether Sessions will try to regain his old Srnate seat, which will be up for election in 2020. Or will he stand aside for someone like Mo Brooks?ot would be nice to get that seat back.

Lyle said...

Is Clinton going to jail? I feel like this is going to be very bad for Democrats.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

If the left throw out buzzwords and hivemind catch phrases - will the hivemind buy it?

The two sides of Elizabeth Warren

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Leftwing buzz-phrase! *drink*

*Constitutional crisis*

tim in vermont said...

He should appoint Holder.

Paul Zrimsek said...

The "commander in chief" phrasing in an article about one of the President's civilian subordinates is odd. Do they know the Attorney General isn't a general?

tim in vermont said...

"Subpoenas? We don’t take no stinking subpoenas!”

Those are the rules you made, Dems.

Paddy O said...

"Do they know the Attorney General isn't a general?"

Reminds me of Kramer's encounter with the Postmaster General

Qwinn said...

Warren and Nadler totally contradicting themselves over Sessions is hilarious. I wonder if SNL could find a joke to make about that.

mccullough said...

Sessions was not up to the job. Same with John Ashcroft.

Turning senators into executive branch members is a terrible idea. They are not cabinet material, much less presidential material.

Being a good senator has nothing to do with running an agency. A lot of governors suck at it, too. Presidents nominate senators because they think they will be easier to confirm by their colleagues. That’s a terrible reason.

It would have been better to leave the position I filled than to put Sessions into it. The guy is a senator.

RMc said...

"Rudy Giuliani would be a good Attorney General in this situation."

Yeesh! Rudy is like a combination of the worst qualities of Trump and Sessions.


Cook doesn't like him? Well, that cinches it! Make it happen!

rcocean said...

Getting rid of Sessions was absolutely necessary.

With a Democrat House, Trump needs an AG who will fight for him.

Sessions either wouldn't or could't - Sessions didn't want to "politicize" the Justice Dept. A noble aim, that was foolish given the Democrat opposition.

Accepting abuse and Democrat subpoenas with Senatorial Courtesy and Southern good manners isn't needed.

rcocean said...

"Turning senators into executive branch members is a terrible idea. They are not cabinet material, much less presidential material."

Is it a coincidence that 4 of our worst Presidents (Obama, LBJ, Nixon, Harding) were Senators?

Molly said...

Trump can have any AG he wants (even Giuliani) because:

McCain out, Kyl in
Flake out, McSally probably in
Corker out, Blackburn in
Heidtkamp out, Cramer in
McCaskill out, Hawley in
Donelly out, Braun in
(minus: Heller out, Rosin in)

The point is: Dems replaced by Reps, and Maverick Reps replaced by Trump Republicans.

So it is much harder for Collins or Murkowski to extract concessions, or to refuse to vote along the party line.