Two more House Republicans have called on Jeff Sessions to resign as Attorney General. The ostensible reason is what the GOP calls a lack of control over the Justice Department.
“Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the Russia investigation, but it would appear he has no control at all of the premier law enforcement agency in the world,” they wrote. “It is time for Sessions to start managing in a spirit of transparency to bring all of this improper behavior to light and stop further violations.”
“…if Sessions can’t address this issue immediately, then we have one final question needing an answer: When is it time for a new attorney general? Sadly, it seems the answer is now.”
But let’s get real about what’s going on here. Sessions’ recusal has created a roadblock for Donald Trump. That’s because Deputy A.G. Rod Rosenstein, the man who hired Mueller, sees no reason to fire him. If Sessions goes, Trump could appoint a new and possibly more obedient A.G. who could fire Rosenstein and Robert Mueller. That’s a scary thought. The Attorney General of the United States is not the President’s personal lawyer. Adding to this circus: while the Republicans want Sessions to go, the Democrats are now rallying for him to stay! The Democrats need Sessions to keep Mueller on the job.
Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that Trump had given specific instructions to the White House counsel, Donald McGahn, to make sure Sessions didn’t recuse himself from the Russia investigation, which is exactly what the Attorney General eventually did. Today at Camp David, Trump said he didn’t do anything improper amid the allegations about Sessions and still supports him.