Sessions hits back at Trump as rift explodes
WASHINGTON: US Attorneygeneral Jeff Sessions has punched back hard at President Donald Trump’s latest criticism as their longrunning rift exploded into a public smackdown.
Trump, concerned by the legal downfall of two former advisers, accused Sessions of failing to take control of the Justice Department, leading Sessions to declare yesterday that he and his department ‘‘will not be improperly influenced by political considerations’’.
Trump’s anger with Sessions boiled over in an interview with Fox News in which the president also expressed frustration with the plea agreement his onetime legal ‘‘fixer’’ Michael Cohen cut with prosecutors, including implicating Trump in a crime Cohen admitted.
Trump said it might be better if ‘‘flipping’’ — cooperating with prosecutors in exchange for more favourable treatment — were illegal because people ‘‘just make up lies’’ to get favourable treatment.
In the wideranging interview, Trump also tried to distance
himself from Cohen — ‘‘I would see him sometimes’’ — and said anew that he hadn’t known in advance about Cohen’s hush money payments to silence women alleging sexual relationships with him.
Trump’s latest shots against law enforcement came as he appeared increasingly vulnerable to longrunning investiga tions after this week’s onetwo punch of Cohen’s plea deal and the conviction of Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Trump has spent more than a year publicly and privately venting over Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from the federal Russiacollusion investigation because he’d worked on Trump’s campaign.
Trump, who blames that decision for the eventual appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, told Fox and Friends host Ainsley Earhardt that Sessions ‘‘never took control of the Justice Department and it’s a sort of an incredible thing’’.
Sessions has made clear to associates he has no intention of leaving his job voluntarily despite Trump’s constant criticism. But his tone in his statement yesterday made clear he is tired of the president’s attacks.
‘‘I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in, which is why we have had unprecedented success at effectuating the President’s agenda.’’ — AP