This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/03/jeff-sessions-donald-trump-charges-republican-congressmen
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| 'Good job Jeff': Trump blames Sessions as GOP lawmakers charged before midterms | 'Good job Jeff': Trump blames Sessions as GOP lawmakers charged before midterms |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Donald Trump has mounted another extraordinary attack on his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, blaming him for charges against two congressmen he said jeopardised Republican chances in the forthcoming midterm elections. | |
| On Monday afternoon, the president tweeted: “Two long running, Obama era, investigations of two very popular Republican Congressmen were brought to a well publicized charge, just ahead of the Mid-Terms, by the Jeff Sessions Justice Department. Two easy wins now in doubt because there is not enough time. Good job Jeff...... | |
| “....The Democrats, none of whom voted for Jeff Sessions, must love him now.” | “....The Democrats, none of whom voted for Jeff Sessions, must love him now.” |
| In fact, one Democratic senator, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, voted for Sessions when he was confirmed as attorney general by a 52-47 vote in February 2017. | |
| Last month Duncan Hunter, a California representative, was charged with misuse of campaign funds while Chris Collins of New York was indicted for insider trading. Both are Trump supporters. Hunter will run for re-election. Collins will step down. | |
| Sessions was also an early supporter of Trump but the president has attacked him repeatedly for his decision in March 2017 to recuse himself from oversight of the investigation into Russian election interference and links between Trump aides and Moscow. | Sessions was also an early supporter of Trump but the president has attacked him repeatedly for his decision in March 2017 to recuse himself from oversight of the investigation into Russian election interference and links between Trump aides and Moscow. |
| Sessions made that call after it was revealed he did not disclose to senators meetings with the Russian ambassador during the election campaign. | Sessions made that call after it was revealed he did not disclose to senators meetings with the Russian ambassador during the election campaign. |
| Trump indicated last week that he would fire Sessions after the midterm elections, a move some observers said might presage the firing of deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein and the special counsel, Robert Mueller, whose work has circled ever closer to Trump’s inner sanctum. | |
| Some senior Republicans have indicated they would accept a move against Sessions. Some have said they would not. | |
| Trump’s positive remarks about supporters charged with criminal wrongdoing echoed his comments about the case of Paul Manafort, his former campaign chairman who was convicted last month on eight counts of tax and bank fraud brought by Mueller’s team. | |
| He has not spoken positively of Michael Cohen, his former personal lawyer who pleaded guilty to charges of fraud and violating campaign finance law brought by federal prosecutors in New York. Cohen said Trump directed him to make payments to women who claim to have had affairs with the billionaire. | |
| Trump’s implication that the Department of Justice runs politically motivated investigations is contrary to stated DoJ policy. | |
| Sessions issued a rare response to Trump’s threats and abuse last month, saying in a statement: “I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in. While I am attorney general, the actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations.” | |
| On Monday, Trump was at the White House after what appeared to be a trip to his golf course in Virginia was called off. | |
| He made a similar claim about the FBI director he fired in May 2017, writing: “Same thing with Lyin’ James Comey. The Dems all hated him, wanted him out, thought he was disgusting – UNTIL I FIRED HIM! Immediately he became a wonderful man, a saint like figure in fact. Really sick!” | |
| The firing of Comey, which led to the appointment of Mueller, is one aspect of the special counsel’s investigation of whether Trump has attempted to obstruct justice in the Russia affair. | The firing of Comey, which led to the appointment of Mueller, is one aspect of the special counsel’s investigation of whether Trump has attempted to obstruct justice in the Russia affair. |
| Many election models predict that the Democrats will take back the House in November, with the votes of supporters eager to see Trump impeached. | Many election models predict that the Democrats will take back the House in November, with the votes of supporters eager to see Trump impeached. |
| Nonetheless, on Twitter on Monday, Trump cheerfully anticipated a race for re-election in 2020 against a former Democratic presidential candidate. | |
| “I see that John Kerry, the father of the now terminated Iran deal, is thinking of running for President,” he wrote, referring to the failure by the former secretary of state and 2004 nominee to deny such ambitions while being interviewed about his new memoir on CBS on Sunday. | |
| “I should only be so lucky,” Trump wrote, “although the field that is currently assembling looks really good – FOR ME!” | |
| Jeff Sessions | Jeff Sessions |
| Donald Trump | Donald Trump |
| Trump administration | Trump administration |
| US politics | US politics |
| news | news |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on Google+ | Share on Google+ |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |