Citing Recusal, Trump Says He Wouldn’t Have Hired Sessions

The New York Times ^ | 19 Jul 17 | PETER BAKER, MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT and MAGGIE HABERMAN

[SkyPilot]

President Trump said on Wednesday that he never would have appointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions had he known Mr. Sessions would recuse himself from overseeing the Russia investigation that has dogged his presidency, calling the decision “very unfair to the president.”

In a remarkable public break with one of his earliest political supporters, Mr. Trump complained that Mr. Sessions’s decision ultimately led to the appointment of a special counsel that should not have happened. “Sessions should have never recused himself, and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job and I would have picked somebody else,” Mr. Trump said.

In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times, the president also accused James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director he fired in May, of trying to leverage a dossier of compromising material to keep his job. Mr. Trump criticized both the acting F.B.I. director who has been filling in since Mr. Comey’s dismissal and the deputy attorney general who recommended it. And he took on Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel now leading the investigation into Russian meddling in last year’s election.

Mr. Trump said Mr. Mueller was running an office rife with conflicts of interest and warned investigators against delving into matters too far afield from Russia. Mr. Trump never said he would order the Justice Department to fire Mr. Mueller, nor would he outline circumstances under which he might do so. But he left open the possibility as he expressed deep grievance over an investigation that has taken a political toll in the six months since he took office.

[mathprof]

In hindsight, Sessions has been a disaster.

[gaijin]

Sessions WAS solid, ethical, charismatic.

Now..?

An old, washed-up BUM who clutched at the worst time.

He’s John Edwards, but grey.

I LOVED HIM.

Now he means NOTHING to me.

OUT WITH A WHIMPER.

[jimwatx]

I second that.

[gaijin]

I meant John ROBERTS.

[SkyPilot]

Gee Jeff, do you think you can take a hint?

Sessions is a terrible Attorney General, and must go.

He flat out refuses to go after the real criminals: Hillary, Obama, Rice, Brennan, Clapper, Lynch, Holder, Podesta, and their goons.

Sessions talks about revitalizing the D.A.R.E program, like he is running for First Lady.

He talks about gangs, drugs, the weather - ANYTHING to change the subject so that he doesn't have to do the job he swore an oath to do: uphold justice and hold those who break the law into account, including traitors, thieves, and murderers.

Just leave Jeff. Now. Do it.

[heights]

Sessions accepted the nomination KNOWING he was going to ‘Recuse’ himself on Russian. That was Devious, unethical behavior.

[gaijin]

SUCH high hopes for him. He was NOBLE.

But what a weak BUM..!

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Trump isn't going to fire Sessions.

Something big is coming down the pike. This is to get the chattering classes all worked up and to talk about Sessions non-stop. Behind the scenes though, some bombs are about to drop.

[SkyPilot]

Time for the meme.....

Who? Me? Well.....I......hmmmm.....I am not sure.....

That's.......a big decision.....one that I have to.....you know.....weigh and think about.....

I....I....am sorry....but I have to Recuse myself from this.......

[chiller]

Love Jeff, but Queensbury rules won’t cut it in this environment. It does explain a lot of inactivity in Justice.

[Alberta's Child]

President Trump does nothing to make a strong case for himself and his administration when he conducts an interview and makes a statement like this to a newspaper that he has so thoroughly belittled as a “fake news” outlet for months.

[mrsmith]

Trump is just jerking the NYTimes’ chain.
It’s the media’s fault that a Special Counsel was appointed, not Sessions’.

[heights]

You would think from that last photo that he was caught molesting a five year old. Wimp a la king

[kabar]

Sessions was and is Trump’s best appointment. I hope Sessions does not resign. It would be a disaster. Trump owes his victory to Sessions who provided him the template for the win. And his early support brought many conservatives to the Trump team. Steve Miller came over from Sessions office to run the Trump campaign’s policy on immigration and trade.

[SkyPilot]

This is to get the chattering classes all worked up and to talk about Sessions non-stop. Behind the scenes though, some bombs are about to drop.

That sounds like very wishful thinking.

The truth is, Sessions is doing nothing to go after the Clinton Crime Foundation. Key witnesses are still turning up dead, and Sessions does nothing. Further, even if he suddenly grew a spine, the media and the Democrats would lash him with "You recused yourself!" again, and again, and again.

Sessions doesn't have the moral constitution to fight back, and he left Trump out to dry only weeks into the Administration.

Sessions has to go. Now.

[kabar]

DOJ has been very active on many issues, especially immigration enforcement.

[WilliamIII]

Sessions: a good man, skilled lawyer, sound thinker

But not a wartime consigliere

[heights]

“It’s the media’s fault that a Special Counsel was appointed, not Sessions”.
No, Sessions Recusal and his Appointed a hard-Core Democrat as his second in command led to Mueller.

[kabar]

The truth is, Sessions is doing nothing to go after the Clinton Crime Foundation.

How do you know that? We now have a Justice Department that does not disclose active investigations.