Democrats demand AG stay out of Russia probe
WASHINGTON — The news that Attorney General Jeff Sessi o ns had re s igned Wednesday at President Donald Trump’s request unnerved congressional Democrats, who immedi- ately called for Sessions’ successor to recuse himself from oversight of the Russia investigation being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Most Republicans avoided any mention of the Mueller probe in their statements on Sessions’ departure, with several saying they were looking forward to working with Trump to find a long-term successor to the attorney general. Sessions will be succeeded on a temporary basis by his chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker.
Some Democrats, such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., warned that any move by Trump to limit the Mueller probe would trigger a “constitutional crisis.”
“Our paramount view is that any attorney general, whether this one or another one, should not be able to interfere with the Mueller investigation in any way,” Schumer said at a Capitol Hill news conference. The New York Democrat was caught off guard by Sessions’ resignation, learning of the news when an aide passed him a note at the start of his post-election news conference.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a tweet that it was “impossible to read Attorney General Sessions’ firing as anything other than another blatant attempt by @realDonaldTrump to undermine & end Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation.”
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said in a tweet that the country needs answers as to the reasons behind Ses- sions’ removal.
“Why is the President mak- ing this change and who has authority over Special Coun- sel Mueller’s investigation? We will be holding people accountable,” Nadler asked.
Other Democrats focused specifically on Whitaker, with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, calling it “a break the glass moment.”
“Replacing the Attorney General with a non-Senate-confirmed political staffer is highly irregular and unacceptable,” he said in a state- ment, urging Republicans to join Democrats in demanding Whitaker recuse himself from overseeing the Mueller probe. He also said he would introduce new legislation to “ensure that Congress and the American people see the results of Special Counsel Mueller’s work.”
Many Republicans had previously voiced opposition to the idea of Trump removing Sessions and were angered by the president’s persistent public attacks on their former Senate colleague. But on Wednesday, they were noticeably less critical.
Last year, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., had declared himself “100 percent” behind Sessions and warned that “there will be holy hell to pay” if Trump fired his attor- ney general.
On Wednesday, Graham, who has transformed into one of Trump’s strongest defenders in recent months, gave his blessing to the president’s move.
“I look forward to working with President @realDonaldTrump to find a confirmable, worthy successor so that we can start a new chapter at the Department of Justice and deal with both the opportunities and challenges our nation faces,” Graham said in a tweet.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., struck a similar note, thanking Sessions for his service and saying that he looks “forward to working with him in any future endeavors.”
“Throughout his career, as a prosecutor, a senator and as attorney general, he remained steadfast in his commitment to the rule of law and his love of our great nation,” McConnell said, making no mention of the Russia investigation.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., expressed the hope that Trump select a candidate who backs efforts to overhaul the criminal justice system. Sessions has been resistant to the effort.
“I want to thank Jeff Sessions for his service to our nation,” Scott said. “I am hopeful that President Trump will take this opportunity to nominate a replacement that is invested in criminal justice reform.”