Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended President Trump’s criticism of federal judges, and said the real threat to an independent judiciary is the increased politicization of the judicial branch.
Speaking to CBS, Sessions said Trump has a right to comment on federal court decisions and being a judge does not make one immune from criticism.
“It’s right for the president, as he’s done historically over the centuries, to express opinions about judicial opinions.” -AG Jeff Sessions pic.twitter.com/zDdAGlMnTY— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) April 28, 2017
“It’s right for the president, as he’s done historically over the centuries, to express opinions over judicial opinions,” Sessions said.
He added that judges are “not above being talked about.”
Democrats and other critics have criticized Trump for being too critical of federal judges and seeking to influence the judiciary. However, Sessions said the threat to the federal court system’s independence is within itself.
“The real threat to the independence of the judiciary is if judges become more political and people cease to believe they’re making decision on law and facts,” he said.
On ABC, Sessions defended the White House in the Mike Flynn affair, saying that the vetting of Flynn was sufficient but vetting can’t catch every issue.
Flynn’s payments from the Russian and Turkish governments are under scrutiny because Trump’s former national security adviser may not have got clearance from the Pentagon to accept them, as is required by law. The White House hasn’t released its documents from vetting Flynn despite requests from the House Oversight Committee.
Sessions said the system for looking through candidates for administration roles isn’t always perfect.
“I’m comfortable that they’re working hard to do vetting, but obviously oftentimes you can’t catch everything that might be a problem,” he said.
