Trump celebrates GOP victories, says he’s willing to work with Dems
WASHINGTON — Suddenly facing life under divided government, President Donald Trump and congressional leaders talked bipartisanship Wednesday but then bluntly previewed the fault lines to come. Trump threatened to go after House Democrats who try to investigate him, while Rep. Nancy Pelosi said her party would be “a check and balance” against the White House.
The day after midterm elections reset Washington, Trump took a victory lap at a raucous news conference that stretched to nearly 90 minutes,
sparked fears that the president might be trying to exert control over the special counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller.
A legal commentator before he came into the Justice Department, Whitaker had mused publicly about how a Sessions replacement might reduce Mueller’s budget “so low that his investigation grinds to almost a halt.”
Democrats and others issued statements Wednesday urging that Mueller be left do to his work and vowing to investigate whether Sessions’ ouster was meant to interfere with the special counsel. Come January, Democrats will have subpoena power, having retaken the House in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
“Congress must now investigate the real reason for this termination, confirm that Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker is recused from all aspects of the special counsel’s probe and ensure that the Department of Justice safeguards the integrity of the Mueller investigation,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the ranking
member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement, “No one is above the law and any effort to interfere with the Special Counsel’s investigation would be a gross abuse of power by the President. While the President may have the authority to replace the Attorney General, this must not be the first step in an attempt to impede, obstruct or end the Mueller investigation.”
Senator-elect Mitt Romney, R-Utah, tweeted that it was “imperative” Mueller’s work be allowed to continue unimpeded.
A spokesman for Mueller’s office declined to comment.
A person close to Sessions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the attorney general shared the president’s frustration with the pace of the Russia inquiry, and wished that it had been completed. But Sessions also thought that by staying in the job, he had protected the investigation’s integrity, the person said. In the long run, Sessions is convinced that the country will be better served by the investigation proceeding naturally, as the findings will be more credible to the American public, the person said.
Justice Department officials had been bracing for Sessions’ ouster. He told confidants earlier this week that he expected Trump to fire him or push him out soon after the midterm elections, and friends urged him to quit and consider running again for a Senate seat in Alabama. Still, some senior leaders at the Justice Department were shocked to hear the news Wednesday.
Sessions received a phone call Wednesday from White House chief of staff John Kelly — before the president held a news conference to discuss the midterm election results — telling him the president wanted Sessions to resign, an administration official said.
Sessions sought to stay on the job at least until the end of the week, according to people familiar with the discussion. Kelly rejected that suggestion, insisting Wednesday would be his last day, the people said. Sessions canceled meetings and scheduled one for later in the day, where he would say goodbye to his staff.
Another person said other Cabinet officials also were in jeopardy.