Republican senators get behind Sessions
Cruz denies interest in taking over as attorney general; Cornyn calls Sessions ‘good and honorable man’
Republicans are warning President Trump not to move against Attorney General Jeff Sessions in what many fear could be a prelude to the dismissal of special counsel Robert Mueller.
WASHINGTON – Sen. Ted Cruz, up for re-election next year, is dismissing reports that the Trump administration is considering him as a possibility for the attorney general to replace the embattled former Sen. Jeff Sessions.
But that didn’t keep his name from repeatedly being brought up Tuesday as a possible replacement.
“Jeff Sessions is a friend and a strong conservative,” Cruz said in a statement Monday night when the first media reports came out.
“I was proud to vote to confirm Jeff and to vigorously defend his confirmation, and I’m deeply gratified that we have a principled conservative like Jeff Sessions serving as attorney general.”
Cruz added that he is concentrating on Texas.
“The stories being reported in the media tonight are false,” he said. “My focus is and will remain on fighting every day to defend 28 million Texans in the U.S. Senate.”
Cruz’s name has come up in several media accounts of the search for possible replacements for Sessions, who appears to have fallen out with President Donald Trump over his decision to recuse himself from the Justice Department’s probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 elections.
“Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!” Trump said Tuesday morning on Twitter.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s name also has been floated as a possible Sessions replacement. Giuliani also has dismissed the reports, telling CNN that he thinks Sessions “made the right decision” to recuse himself.
Sen. John Cornyn also defended Sessions on CNN Tuesday. “I know Jeff Sessions well, and he’s a good and honorable man,” Cornyn said.
“I think he’s doing what he believes he’s obligated to do under the rules that govern attorney generals and that, in order to restore the credibility of the Department of Justice and the FBI, something we sorely need after the last administration, that he made the right decision to recuse himself.
“I happen to agree with him that he did, having participated in the campaign like he did,” Cornyn continued.
“I think in order to maintain the impression of impartiality, which is so important to building public confidence, that I think Jeff Sessions did the right thing.”
Replacing Sessions is viewed by many observers as part of a potential strategy to fire special counsel Robert Mueller and end the investigation of possible Trump campaign collusion with the Russians.