US Attorney-General Hits Back at President Trump: Jeff Sessions
United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions has responded to Donald Trump’s latest attack on him by insisting that the justice department he heads will not bend to political pressure.
The apparent rebuke of Mr Trump came after the president said Mr Sessions was not in control of his department. Mr Trump has been vociferous in his criticism of the Department of Justice. He has been particularly riled by its handling of the inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Mr Sessions, an early supporter of Mr Trump’s campaign, has stepped aside from that inquiry to avoid a potential conflict of interest and handed control to his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.
That decision by Mr Sessions, and the ongoing progress of the inquiry under special counsel Robert Mueller – which is also reportedly now looking into whether Mr Trump has attempted to obstruct justice have provoked frequent outbursts from the president, both in person and on his Twitter feed.
The president remains insistent that there was no collusion between his campaign and the Russian government, and denies he has attempted to obstruct justice.
What did Sessions say?
“I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in,” the attorney general said in a statement.
“While I am attorney-general, the actions of the Department of Jus- tice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations. “I demand the highest standards, and where they are not met, I take action.”
He added: “No nation has a more talented, more dedicated group of law enforcement investigators and prosecutors than the United States. “I am proud to serve with them and proud of the work we have done in successfully advancing the rule of law.”
Previously, Mr Sessions had been largely non-committal following criticism of him by the president, who appears to believe that Mr Sessions should have shown him greater loyalty instead of recusing himself from the Russia inquiry.