Trump keeps up pressure on Attorney General Sessions
President’s criticism by tweet continues
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump kept up his public pelting of Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday as the fate of his once-close ally remained very much in doubt.
Mr. Trump’s criticisms of Mr. Sessions resumed with a morning tweet wondering why Mr. Sessions didn’t “replace Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe,” whom the president characterized as a friend of fired former FBI director James Comey and an ally of Hillary Clinton.
The new tweet came a day after Mr. Trump repeatedly expressed regret over choosing Mr. Sessions for the Cabinet position and refused to say whether he’d fire the nation’s top law enforcement officer.
The president’s intensifying criticism has fueled speculation that the attorney general may step down even if the president stops short of firing him. But several people close to the former Alabama senator have said that Mr. Sessions does not plan to quit.
Mr. McCabe has served as acting FBI director since Mr. Trump fired Mr. Comey in May. The president has been angry at Mr. McCabe for months, particularly after he highlighted the FBI’s work in the ongoing Russia probe and praised Mr. Comey during an appearance before Congress.
But Mr. Trump could have fired Mr. McCabe himself at any time. Mr. Trump’s pick to be the new FBI director, Chris Wray, had his nomination voted out of the Senate’s Judiciary Committee last week.
The attorney general visited the White House on Wednesday morning for a routine meeting that did not include the president, according to a Justice Department spokeswoman.
He and Mr. Trump have not spoken in recent days. In private, Mr. Trump has told confidants that Mr. Sessions was disloyal in recusing himself from the federal investigation of Russia’s meddling in the presidential election and the possibility of collaboration with the Trump campaign. Mr. Sessions himself had met with RussianAmbassador Sergey Kislyak before the election as a representative of the Trump campaign and thus stepped aside from the probe.
As he has previously, Mr. Trump said he would have “quite simply picked someone else” for the job if he’d known Mr. Sessions would recuse himself. He called Mr. Sessions’ decision a “bad thing for the presidency,” changing a word from his previous comments that it had been bad for “the president.” He also said the attorney general ought to get cracking on stopping leaks from federal intelligence agencies.
The president on Tuesday had tweeted: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!”
Mr. Trump’s harsh words drew a strong response from a number of Mr. Sessions’ former Senate colleagues, suggesting that all Republicans may not fall in line this time behind the president.
For U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey — a reluctant Trump supporter turned reliable Republican who has backed the president — Mr. Trump’s relentless attacks on Mr. Sessions are too much.
“I continue to support him as Attorney General of the United States,” Mr. Toomey, R-Pa., pledged in a written statement.
He didn’t go as far as other Senate Republicans who are threatening to stymie confirmation of a replacement if Mr. Sessions gets fired.
The Senate majority’s No. 2 leader gave Mr. Trump one of the strongest pushbacks from any Republican in Congress this year.
“Well, it’s the president’s prerogative, but he is then going to jeopardize, potentially, his ability to get anything else done here,” Majority Whip John Cornyn told reporters Wednesday. “And I don’t think that should be his desire or preference.”
Some White House aides and Trump confidants have begun discussing how to move on beyond Mr. Sessions, while others have cautioned the president against firing a figure popular among conservatives — especially in the heat of the Russia probe.