Outside the Beltway

Outside the Beltway

Attorney General Retorts to Angry Presidential Tweet

Yet another top appointee is in the awkward position of having to defend himself from the Tweeter-in-Chief.

James Joyner
16

Comments

WSJ (“Jeff Sessions Fires Back at Trump Over Handling of Justice Department Surveillance Probe“):

Jeff Sessions fired back Wednesday at criticism from President Donald Trump, saying in a statement that “as long as I am the Attorney General, I will continue to discharge my duties with integrity and honor.”

Mr. Sessions’s statement came hours after Mr. Trump chastised his attorney general’s decision to refer a probe of the Justice Department’s handling of secret surveillance warrants to the agency’s inspector general rather than another office.

“Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse. Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power…Why not use Justice Department lawyers? DISGRACEFUL!” Mr. Trump said.

The tweet followed a disclosure by Mr. Sessions on Tuesday that the Justice Department’s inspector general, Michael Horowitz, would investigate how the FBI and federal prosecutors obtained warrants from the nation’s secret spy court to spy on a former Trump campaign foreign-policy adviser who had previously been targeted by Russian intelligence for recruitment.

I honestly can’t recall anything like this, where a President and top appointees are constantly bickering with one another in this fashion. Sessions is, of course, right here: investigations have to be seen to be impartial, not influenced by the President’s mood swings.

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16 responses to “Attorney General Retorts to Angry Presidential Tweet”

  1. reid Avatar
    reid

    Sessions was one of the earliest Trump supporters, for some bizarre reason. I hope he’s seriously regretting it now. No sympathy here.

    14
  2. Mark Ivey Avatar
    Mark Ivey

    “I honestly can’t recall anything like this, where a President and top appointees are constantly bickering with one another in this fashion.”

    It’s called “MA-GAing” and they claim it makes Merica great again.

    6
  3. al-Ameda Avatar
    al-Ameda

    Jeff, the solution is simple:
    resign and go to work in Sean Hannity’s mail room.

    4
  4. Kathy Avatar
    Kathy

    So about this GOP civil war all Republicans denied could ever happen…

    4
  5. James Pearce Avatar
    James Pearce

    Trump shouldn’t be in the White House. He should be on the View.

    5
  6. gVOR08 Avatar
    gVOR08

    Sessions is, of course, right here

    Sessions fears entangling himself in Trumpsky’s obstruction of justice. That he’s trying to distance himself is hopefully a sign he sees things are going to come to a head soon.

    2
  7. Neil Hudelson Avatar
    Neil Hudelson

    At least Kissinger and Nixon had the decency to bicker in private.

    2
  8. James Pearce Avatar
    James Pearce

    I honestly can’t recall anything like this, where a President and top appointees are constantly bickering with one another in this fashion.

    “We need a businessman in the White House,” they said.

    5
  9. They Saved Nixon's Brain Avatar
    They Saved Nixon’s Brain

    I guess I could have been even more despicable than I was.

  10. CSK Avatar
    CSK

    @gVOR08:

    And now Hope Hicks is running for the exit.

    2
  11. Lounsbury Avatar
    Lounsbury

    @James Pearce:
    They got instead a carnival huckster and corner-of-the-pub-ranter pretending to be businessman.

    4
  12. al-Ameda Avatar
    al-Ameda

    @Lounsbury:
    @James Pearce:

    “We need a businessman in the White House,” they said.

    By traditional standards Trump has never operated his company like a traditional corporate business, he’s never had to answer to anyone for his actions.

    He’s almost like a start-up – always looking for the next round of financing to leverage his business into more growth, more income. He uses bankruptcy to get out of failed business ventures, to avoid honoring contracts, to manage cash flow.

    His skill is in promoting himself as a ‘successful businessman,’ the reality is that he’s actually a ‘successful salesman/conman.’

    7
  13. michael reynolds Avatar
    michael reynolds

    @al-Ameda:
    Smart businessmen also don’t raise funds by laundering money from the Russian mob. And then put themselves at the center of the world’s biggest spotlight. As a rule your better class of criminal knows not to attract attention to their criminal activities.

    4
  14. Kylopod Avatar
    Kylopod

    @reid:

    Sessions was one of the earliest Trump supporters, for some bizarre reason. I hope he’s seriously regretting it now. No sympathy here.

    I see anyone who works for Trump as being like a Bond supervillain henchman; it’s only a matter of time before he feeds you to the frickin’ sharks with frickin’ laser beams.

    It’s one of the few areas of Schadenfreude I can depend on during the Trump era.

  15. Just 'nutha ig'nint cracker Avatar
    Just ‘nutha ig’nint cracker

    @michael reynolds:

    And then put themselves at the center of the world’s biggest spotlight.

    Well as what’s his name’s (how quickly I forget) book noted, nobody in the group thought they were going to win. They should have thought out the contingencies better, I admit, but still…

    You are right, though, as criminal enterprises go this one made a huuuuuuuge rookie mistake.

    1
  16. MarkedMan Avatar
    MarkedMan

    @James Pearce:

    He should be on the View.

    More like Jerry Springer. Or the modern equivalent.

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