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Donald Trump attacks Jeff Sessions on Twitter over 'very weak' position on Hillary Clinton
US President Donald Trump launched an extraordinary attack on Attorney General Jeff Sessions again on Tuesday, calling him "VERY weak" in pursuing intelligence leaks and failure to go after former Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton over her emails. Mr Trump's latest Twitter salvo followed a report in the Washington Post that the president and his advisers have discussed replacing Sessions, once one of his closest allies. "Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails &DNC server) & Intel leakers!" Mr Trump tweeted. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017 Mr Trump has openly criticised Mr Sessions for recusing himself from overseeing a federal probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian to meddle in the 2016 US presidential elections. Mr Trump's intensifying criticism of Sessoins has fueled speculation that Mr Sessions may resign even if Trump opts not to fire him. During an event at the White House, Trump ignored a shouted question about whether Sessions should step down and rolled his eyes. Mr Sessions has said he has no plans to resign. Sessions trump With pressure mounting from the investigation led by former FBI director Robert Mueller, Mr Trump has sought to revive a campaign year controversy over Mrs Clinton's use of a private server to send email while secretary of state. During the campaign, former FBI director James Comey, whom Mr Trump later fired over the Russia probe, had declined to recommend Mrs Clinton be prosecuted over her handling of classified material on her email server. In another post to his Twitter account, Mr Trump said: "Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump campaign - quietly working to boost Clinton. So where is the investigation A.G." Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump campaign - "quietly working to boost Clinton." So where is the investigation A.G. @seanhannity— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017 What happens next? If Mr Trump were to fire Mr Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein would be elevated to the top post on an acting basis. That would leave the president with another attorney general of whom he has been sharply critical in both public and private for his handling of the Russia probe, according to four White House and outside advisers who, like others interviewed, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Jared Kushner speaks out after Senate hearing on Russia 00:30 It could also raise the specter of Mr Trump asking Mr Rosenstein - or whomever he appoints to fill the position - to fire Robert Mueller, the special counsel leading the investigation into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election and potential collusion with Trump's campaign. The name of one longtime Trump ally, Rudy Giuliani, was floated Monday as a possible replacement for Sessions, but a person who recently spoke to the former New York City mayor said that Giuliani had not been approached about the position. Mr Giuliani told CNN on Monday that he did not want the post and would have recused himself had he been in Sessions' position. Trump insists on not talking politics before proceeding to talk politics 00:00 The president's tweet about the former Alabama senator comes less than a week after Mr Trump, in a New York Times interview, said that Sessions should never have taken the job as attorney general if he was going to recuse himself. Mr Sessions made that decision after it was revealed that he had met with a top Russian diplomat last year. Mr Trump has seethed about Mr Sessions' decision for months, viewing it as disloyal - arguably the most grievous offense in the president's mind - and resenting that the attorney general did not give the White House a proper heads-up before making the announcement that he would recuse himself. His fury has been fanned by several close confidants - including his son Donald Trump Jr, who is also ensnared in the Russia probe - who are angry that Mr Sessions made his decision. Would Donald Trump make a good Boy Scout? 01:38 Mr Sessions and Mr Trump used to be close, sharing both a friendship and an ideology. Mr Sessions risked his reputation when he became the first US senator to endorse the celebrity businessman and his early backing gave Trump legitimacy, especially among the hard-line anti-immigration forces that bolstered his candidacy. Several of Mr Sessions' top aides now serve in top administration posts, including Stephen Miller, the architect of several of Mr Trump's signature proposals, including the travel ban and tough immigration policy. After Mr Trump's public rebuke last week, Mr Sessions seemed determined to keep doing the job he said "goes beyond anything that I would have ever imagined for myself." "I'm totally confident that we can continue to run this office in an effective way," Mr Sessions said last week. Armand DeKeyser, who worked closely with Sessions and became his chief of staff in the Senate, said he did not see the attorney general as someone who would easily cave to criticism, even from the president. "If Jeff thinks he is in an untenable position and cannot be an effective leader, I believe he would leave," DeKeyser said. "But I don't think he's reached that point." But Anthony Scaramucci, the president's new communications director, said that it's time for Trump and Sessions to hash out a resolution, regardless of what they decide. "My own personal opinion, I think they've got to have a meeting and have a reconciliation one way or another. You know what I mean? Either stay or go, one way or another," he said. The Justice Department declined to comment.
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