Sessions flayed as Trump aides testify in senate

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump can fire his attorney general Jeff Sessions any time he wants, but he has taken to mocking and tormenting him in tweets almost daily, strongly indicating that he wants to get rid of him.

“Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!” Trump tweeted on Tuesday, after mocking him as “our beleaguered AG”.

Trump is annoyed with Sessions for recusing himself from the investigations into the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections.

In a recent interview, he said he would have never hired Sessions if he knew the latter would recuse himself. He is also understood to have discussed firing Sessions with advisers.

When asked if Trump wanted the Sessions to resign, newly appointed communications director Anthony Scaramucci told a TV news anchor, “You’re probably right”.

Sessions has not commented on Trump’s hounding of him, saying that he won’t resign and will continue in the job as long as “appropriate”.

Trump is also trying to bat away the multiple probes into the alleged Russia meddling, which are currently focused on his inner circle.

His son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner appeared before a senate intelligence committee in a closed-door meeting on Monday, stating: “I did not collude with Russians, nor do I know of anyone in the campaign who did.” He was scheduled to appear before a House committee on Tuesday, with Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr to appear before the senate judiciary committee on Wednesday.

Paul Manafort, who briefly headed Trump’s presidential campaign, spoke to the senate intelligence committee on Tuesday, and has been issued a subpoena by the senate judiciary committee to testify before it on Wednesday.