Republican senators believe President Trump should leave Attorney General Jeff Sessions alone and still have confidence in him despite the president’s constant barbs over Twitter.
“I think what he says about the attorney general is inappropriate,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “I do believe a special counsel is the best way to go when it comes to looking at DOJ, FBI problems with the FISA warrant process, but Jeff Sessions can’t do the things that President Trump is urging him to do because he’s recused himself and I think it’s inappropriate for the president to criticize him.”
Trump this week slammed Sessions for asking the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General to investigate alleged abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act by the Obama administration and said department lawyers should do that work instead so they can act on it immediately.
“Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse. Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power and already late with reports on Comey etc,” Trump tweeted. “Isn’t the I.G. an Obama guy? Why not use Justice Department lawyers? DISGRACEFUL!”
Graham said Sessions staked out the right position when he said he’s doing his job properly.
“I just think you’re asking Jeff Sessions to do something he can’t do,” Graham said. “It’s unseemly and Jeff deserves better than that.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., says he still has confidence in his former Senate colleague, despite the public back-and-forth.
“I believe that he is a good resource. I think he’s done a good job over there,” Tillis said. “There are a variety of reasons why the president may take his position that are outside of my own view of him, but based on my interactions with General Sessions, I have the utmost confidence in him.”
Sessions, who Trump has reportedly likened to cartoon senior citizen Mr. Magoo, responded to Trump both directly and indirectly Wednesday after the tweet.
“As long as I am the attorney general, I will continue to discharge my duties with integrity and honor, and this department will continue to do its work in a fair and impartial manner according to the law and Constitution,” Sessions said in the statement. Later on, he dined with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Solicitor General Noel Francisco in a show of solidarity with the department.
Some Senate Republicans believe the president has gone overboard in his criticisms of the former Alabama senator and one of his top supporters on the campaign trail in 2016. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., has been a vocal backer of the president and the attorney general, has taken Sessions’ side in the ongoing feud.
“Loyalty’s a two-way street. Sessions’ got a lot of integrity, and that’s good for the administration,” Shelby said. “I would hope he would keep him on. I think right now, there’s a lot of disarray at the White House — that would just add to it.”
Shelby, who served with Sessions for 20 years in the Senate, said that he hasn’t talked to Sessions recently, but had breakfast with him “several weeks back.” But when asked by a reporter at the Capitol Thursday if Sessions is worried about his standing in the administration, Shelby quickly shuffled into an elevator.
