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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

Posted on 07/19/2017 6:14:34 PM PDT by SkyPilot

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To: Cboldt

There’s a lot that’s unusual about this interview, first of all being with the NYT which Trump has denounced numerous times as fake news. Secondly, Jeff Sessions was one of his earliest supporters and there is a very warm relationship there, if there were problems of this magnitude it wouldn’t be aired in a manner seemingly designed to humiliate and it certainly wouldn’t be via the NYT.

So, I’m very prone to thinking more is afoot than we know, and will wait and see. Sessions has dismayed me with the civil asset forfeiture and focusing on D.A.R.E. though. Of all the pressing matters, that’s just not one of them.


201 posted on 07/19/2017 8:34:52 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry
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To: Will88
Trump shouldn't be throwing Sessions under the bus in public

And in the NYT no less

Sure seems weird and completely out of character to use the NYT
202 posted on 07/19/2017 8:35:04 PM PDT by uncbob
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To: Wissa
Sessions cites Justice Department regulation in recusal ...

"I recused myself not because of any asserted wrongdoing on my part during the campaign," Sessions said. "But because a Department of Justice regulation, 28 CFR 45.2, required it."

"That regulation states, in effect, that department employees should not participate in investigations of a campaign if they have served as a campaign advisor," said Sessions.

28 CFR 45.2 - Disqualification arising from personal or political relationship. <- Link

203 posted on 07/19/2017 8:35:16 PM PDT by Cboldt
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To: vette6387
Not so subtle message to Sessions: “Time to go, we have work to do and you aren’t up to the tasks ahead.” Subtext: “Please go on your own, I don’t need the kind of BS firing you would bring to me!”

How would President Trump get another Attorney General appointed ? Sen. Sessions was confirmed on a 52-47 vote. How many votes would confirm President Trump's choice for a new AG ? Would that choice even make it out of committee ?


204 posted on 07/19/2017 8:36:26 PM PDT by af_vet_1981 (The bus came by and I got on, That's when it all began.)
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To: Cboldt

Since many Dems and others were calling for Sessions to recuse himself as soon as Trump announced him, it was an amateurish blunder for Trump’s people not to find out how Sessions would respond to the inevitable questions that would be asked at the confirmation hearing. Something doesn’t add up. Perhaps this is a Trump misdirection?


205 posted on 07/19/2017 8:40:21 PM PDT by jjotto ("Ya could look it up!")
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To: Will88
-- Trump shouldn't be throwing Sessions under the bus in public. Very poor form and it will make it much harder to find a decent replacement for AG ... --

I don't have a problem with public put downs, per se. They can be justified and useful. My issue is that Trump is blaming Sessions for not being prescient, and that is only not fair to Sessions, it looks like a character flaw in Trump, to me. And so I agree with your point that this risks turning off qualified people, from serving in the Trump administration. Loyalty is a two way street. Trump doesn't give it, he has no right to expect it.

I climbed down Angus King's throat for accusing sessions of playing "hide the ball" in sessions' June hearing appearance. My calling of of King was justified ONLY because the accusation, by King, had no basis, and King knew it had no basis. He was trying to score points with some DEM constituency, but still bad character on King's part.

206 posted on 07/19/2017 8:42:02 PM PDT by Cboldt
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To: Cboldt

Well we have a ringside seat to see how it plays out. I hope you are right.

It meant a lot to Jeff Sessions to be confirmed and lay to rest the untrue accusations of his last confirmation hearing in 1986, when he was grilled by the Senate Judiciary Committee after President Ronald Reagan nominated him as federal district judge for Alabama.


207 posted on 07/19/2017 8:42:45 PM PDT by JayGalt (Let Trump Be Trump)
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To: itsahoot

Another Clinton trick...”Oh, that’s old news.”


208 posted on 07/19/2017 8:44:46 PM PDT by cradle of freedom
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To: RegulatorCountry
-- So, I'm very prone to thinking more is afoot than we know, and will wait and see. Sessions has dismayed me with the civil asset forfeiture and focusing on D.A.R.E. though. Of all the pressing matters, that's just not one of them. --

I agree with all that. Although the drug prohibition is today's version of the alcohol wars of days gone by. Part of tamping down gang activity is tamping down demand for drugs. Fools errand, but the laws facilitate making tons of money on all sides of the racket, including the enforcement side.

Maybe DARE and civil forfeiture will be used judiciously, with an eye on effectively reducing violence. IOW, DARE and forfeiture are not objects in and of themselves, and the people swept up are the most harmful ones.

DoJ is huge. Lots more than US Attorneys and the FBI.

209 posted on 07/19/2017 8:48:35 PM PDT by Cboldt
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To: SkyPilot

Just another traitor/rino.


210 posted on 07/19/2017 8:52:53 PM PDT by JPJones (There is no Law but Constitutional Law, and America is Its Agent)
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To: jjotto
-- Since many Dems and others were calling for Sessions to recuse himself as soon as Trump announced him ... --

That call for recusal at that time was in relation to prosecution of Crooked Hillary. I posted a summary of instances of "recsal" being raised in January 10 hearing, which was TWO MONTHS after he was selected, November 18.

Trump's complaint about recusal, today, is in relation to the Russia investigations. Trump is blaming Sessions for not being open in November, about something that didn't become a known issue until at least a few weeks after Sessions was confirmed.

-- Perhaps this is a Trump misdirection? --

We'll never know. That's an essential part of being unpredictable. Don't show your cards after a successful bluff either.

211 posted on 07/19/2017 8:55:34 PM PDT by Cboldt
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To: af_vet_1981

“How would President Trump get another Attorney General appointed ?”

Get McConnell to do his job. All of this “advise and consent” BS could only take a couple of weeks at the outside if McConnell would change the rules.


212 posted on 07/19/2017 8:59:04 PM PDT by vette6387
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To: Cboldt
Thanks.

It clearly deals with avoiding a conflict of interest by people participating in a criminal investigation.

I've got no experience with the law, but it seems to read that he could have just reported that he had a personal and political relationship with Trump and his campaign, and then waited for his supervisor to "relieve him from participation" if that supervisor couldn't determine that he could be impartial.

213 posted on 07/19/2017 9:04:08 PM PDT by Wissa ("Accidents don't happen to people who take accidents as a personal insult." - Michael Corleone)
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To: SkyPilot

Don’t read NYT.


214 posted on 07/19/2017 9:10:32 PM PDT by onedoug
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To: Alberta's Child

I don’t understand him giving interviews to these propaganda outlets either and yet he’s puzzling himself in refusing to fire those hostile to him and undermining him that this isn’t all about Jeff Sessions.


215 posted on 07/19/2017 9:16:26 PM PDT by VermithraxPejorative
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To: Wissa; itsahoot

I think the regulation is cited in post 189. (28 CFR 45.2)


216 posted on 07/19/2017 9:18:22 PM PDT by etcb
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To: SkyPilot

We will just agree to disagree. The Dems will be the ones celebrating the resignation of Sessions. He was doing a great job as AG. It will be months before we will see a replacement. In the meantime Rosenstein is the AG.


217 posted on 07/19/2017 9:27:08 PM PDT by kabar
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To: Wissa
-- it seems to read that he could have just reported that he had a personal and political relationship with Trump and his campaign, and then waited for his supervisor to "relieve him from participation" if that supervisor couldn't determine that he could be impartial. --

He's top dog. Doesn't have a supervisor for this function.

In an honest system, recusal of the top dog is a non-issue. The next person in line handles the case.

Sessions was pressured to issue a pre-emptive recusal by reports that he had fudged his answers in his confirmation hearing. That accusation is bogus too (Trump piles on though, about Sessions' answer to Franken), but the reports that Flynn was under investigation coupled with Sessions' admission of having met with a couple of Russians created a situation where ignoring the question of recusal would inflame the issue.

Sessions issued his recusal memo on March 2nd. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Dana Boente was to take those cases.

In a parallel universe, there is no investigation, and the recusal is moot. It exists, but so what? That is not the universe we are in.

Comey had ginned up a handful of investigations into the Trump campaign. Comey told the world about them FOR THE FIRST TIME on March 20th. Before that, the investigations were reported by unnamed sources. Once confirmed, they have to "run their course."

Comey broke the rules, by the way, when he divulged the existence of these investigations. he said in his testimony that this was authorized by the DoJ, I'm guessing by McCabe.

Now (in late March) the recusal, which is square within the regulation, is an issue.

So let's blame Sessions for not bringing this up before he was selected, back in November.

218 posted on 07/19/2017 9:27:34 PM PDT by Cboldt
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To: SkyPilot

Sessions recusal opened the flood gates on this entire ridiculous Russia collusion non sense. Hes a nice guy, but this is the most cut throat attack on a sitting President iv’e ever seen...the electoral voters were getting death threats for gods sake. Sessions is from a different time...this is a death match and Trump need a killer as AG. A special counsel 4 months into a Presidency and not even crime was committed? Its insane. Plus, hes scared $#^%$ less of the media....literally shakes at press conferences. That Clinton case would be re opened so fast if it was me.....huge disappointment.


219 posted on 07/19/2017 9:27:36 PM PDT by basalt
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To: onedoug

Audio of Trump himself => https://youtube.com/watch?v=GDP-bUiecmo


220 posted on 07/19/2017 9:29:07 PM PDT by Ken H (Best election ever!)
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