President Donald Trump had repeatedly blasted Sessions over his decision to recuse himself from an investigation into Trump’s electoral campaign. How Sessions’ exit will affect that probe is still unclear.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned on Wednesday, pushed out by President Donald Trump. Matthew Whitaker, Session’s chief of staff, will become acting attorney general and oversee the Mueller probe into Russian collusion with Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
What we know
- Sessions gave Trump an undated resignation letter.
- The letter says the resignation was at Trump’s “request.”
- Trump announced Sessions’ departure on Twitter and wrote: “We wish him well.”
- Whitaker will be acting attorney general until Trump names a permanent replacement.
- Whitaker has previously criticized the Mueller probe, once musing about whether an attorney general could undermine the investigation by cutting its budget.
Donald J. Trump@realDonaldTrumpWe are pleased to announce that Matthew G. Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, will become our new Acting Attorney General of the United States. He will serve our Country well….
Donald J. Trump@realDonaldTrump….We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date.
What did Sessions write in his resignation letter?
In his undated letter, Sessions wrote he was “submitting his resignation” at the request of the president.
The Wall Street Journal@WSJRead Jeff Sessions’ letter of resignation https://on.wsj.com/2Qrqn0V
Sessions said he had advanced Trump’s political objectives during his time as attorney general. He listed spearheading a crackdown on irregular migrants, breaking up violent “transnational gangs” and tackling the opioid epidemic among his achievements.
“Most importantly, in my time as attorney general, we have restored and upheld the rule of law — a glorious tradition that each of us has a responsibility to safeguard.”
Democrats warn Trump
Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat expected to lead the party in the House of Representatives, said the resignation was a “blatant attempt” by Trump to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible Russian collusion with the Trump campaign.
“Given his record of threats to undermine & weaken the Russia investigation, Matthew Whitaker should recuse himself from any involvement in Mueller’s investigation,” wrote Pelosi on Twitter.
Nancy Pelosi@NancyPelosiIt is impossible to read Attorney General Sessions’ firing as anything other than another blatant attempt by @realDonaldTrump to undermine & end Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation.
Nancy Pelosi@NancyPelosiGiven his record of threats to undermine & weaken the Russia investigation, Matthew Whitaker should recuse himself from any involvement in Mueller’s investigation. Congress must take immediate action to protect the rule of law and integrity of the investigation. #FollowTheFacts
The Democrats’ leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said both houses of the US Congress needed to protect the probe.
“It would create a constitutional crisis if this were a prelude to ending or greatly limiting the Mueller investigation,” he said.
Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on Senate Judiciary Committee, also said Whitaker should “make a firm commitment not to interfere in the investigation.”
The president has made abundantly clear that he’ll take any action he can to undermine the Mueller investigation. No one who lacks Senate confirmation should be placed in charge of this investigation, especially Matthew Whitaker who publicly criticized Mueller’s work last year.
Who is Jeff Sessions?
The Alabama Republican was the first senator to back Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Trump started publicly criticizing him after Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation in early 2017.
2013: Mr Trump goes to Russia
June 18, 2013. Donald Trump tweeted: “The Miss Universe Pageant will be broadcast live from MOSCOW, RUSSIA on November 9. A big deal that will bring our countries together!” He later added: “Do you think Putin will be going – if so, will he become my new best friend?” October 17, 2013 Trump tells chat show host David Letterman he has conducted “a lot of business with the Russians.”
September 2015: Hacking allegations raised
An FBI agent told a tech-support contractor at the Democratic National Committee it may have been hacked. On May 18, 2016, James Clapper, the director of National Intelligence, said there were “some indications” of cyberattacks aimed at the presidential campaigns. On June 14, 2016 the DNC announced it had been the victim of an attack by Russian hackers.
July 20, 2016: Mr Kislyak enters the picture
Senator Jeff Sessions – an early Trump endorser who led his national security advisory committee – met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and a group of other ambassadors at a Republican National Convention event.
July 22, 2016: Assange thickens the plot
Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks published 20,000 emails stolen from the DNC, appearing to show a preference for Hillary Clinton over Senator Bernie Sanders.
July 25, 2016: Cometh the hour, Comey the man
The FBI announced it was investigating the DNC hack saying “a compromise of this nature is something we take very seriously.”
November 8, 2016: Trump elected
Donald Trump is elected president of the United States. On November 9, the Russian parliament burst into applause at the news.
November 10, 2016: Team Trump denies Russia link
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Rybakov said there “were contacts” between the Russian government and the Trump campaign during the election campaign. The Trump campaign issued a firm denial.
November 18, 2016: Flynn appointed
Trump named General Michael Flynn as his national security adviser. The former Defence Intelligence Agency chief was a top foreign policy adviser in Trump’s campaign. Flynn resigned in February after failing to disclose full details of his communication with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
January 26, 2017: Yates – ‘The center cannot hold’
Acting attorney general Sally Yates told White House counsel Don McGahn that Flynn made false statements regarding his calls with Kislyak. On January 30 Trump fired Yates for refusing to enforce his travel ban, which was later blocked by federal courts.
March 2, 2017: Sessions recuses himself
Trump said he had “total confidence” in Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sessions announced he would recuse himself from any investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.
March 20, 2017: FBI examines Trump-Kremlin links
FBI Director James Comey confirmed before the House Select Committee on Intelligence that the FBI was investigating possible links between Russia and the Trump campaign.
May 9, 2017: Trump sacks Comey
In a letter announcing the termination, Trump wrote: “While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.”
May 17, 2017: Mueller appointed special counsel
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller to look into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.
August 2017: FBI seizes documents from Manafort
Shortly after Mueller convenes a grand jury for the investigation, the FBI seizes documents from one of Paul Manafort’s properties as part of a raid for Mueller’s probe. The former Trump campaigner manager stepped down in August 2016 after allegations surfaced that he had received large payments linked to Ukraine’s former pro-Russian government.
September 2017: Trump Jr.’s talks to Senate committee
Donald Trump Jr. tells the Senate Judiciary Committee he has not colluded with a foreign government. The closed-door interview relates to his June 2016 meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, which was also attended by his brother-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then campaign manager Paul Manafort. Trump Jr.’s emails, however, suggest the meeting was supposed to produce dirt on Clinton.
October 2017: Internet giants allege Russian interference
Facebook, Twitter and Google reportedly tell US media they have evidence that Russian operatives exploited platforms to spread disinformation during the 2016 US presidential election. The three companies are expected to appear before a Senate Intelligence Committee in November.
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