Heated exchanges between AG Sessions and President Trump

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Story highlights
  • Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the DOJ Russia probe in March
  • The frustration between President Donald Trump and Sessions has gone both ways

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have had a series of heated exchanges in the last several weeks after Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe, a source close to Sessions told CNN Tuesday.

A senior administration official said that at one point, Sessions expressed he would be willing to resign if Trump no longer wanted him there.
The frustration comes at a critical juncture for Trump. Former FBI Director James Comey is set to testify Thursday about his private discussions with Trump and the Russia investigation has lapped into the White House, with questions about the President's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner.


White House won't say if Trump has confidence in AG Sessions

Tuesday afternoon, White House press secretary Sean Spicer declined to say whether Trump has confidence in Sessions.
"I have not had a discussion with him about that," Spicer said.
As of 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, the White House still was unable to say whether or not the President backs his attorney general, a White House official said. The official said they wanted to avoid a repeat of what happened when Kellyanne Conway said Trump had confidence in Flynn only to find out hours later that the national security adviser had been pushed out.
Sessions remains at the Justice Department, where a spokeswoman told CNN that he is not stepping down.
ABC News first reported Tuesday that Sessions offered to resign.

Brewing since Sessions' recusal

Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe in March, shorty after The Washington Post reported on undisclosed meetings between him and the Russian ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak.
In the three months since Sessions stepped aside, the intensity of the probe has grown exponentially -- culminating in Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's decision to appoint Robert Mueller as special counsel.
The frustration between Trump and Sessions has gone both ways, with Justice Department officials upset that the President's tweets and comments caused problems for Sessions and Rosenstein in the wake of the Comey firing.
CNN has previously reported that Trump was frustrated with Sessions' decision to recuse himself.
Sessions was Trump's first supporter in the Senate and was an enthusiastic backer throughout the campaign -- standing with Trump through multiple controversies. And Sessions' own team has become a part of Trump's inner circle: former Sessions chief of staff Rick Dearborn is now Trump's deputy chief of staff, and former Sessions spokesman Stephen Miller has evolved into a highly influential figure as Trump's policy director and speechwriter.
After the election, Sessions was rewarded with one of the most prominent positions in Trump's new administration, atop the Justice Department.
But pressure has been mounting on Trump over his campaign's communications with Russians. Trump told NBC News that he fired Comey in part because of the Russia probe and Comey, in a memo about a private talk, said Trump pressured him to drop his investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
CNN's Jim Sciutto contributed to this report.
 
Attorney General Jeff Sessions in April. On Tuesday, the White House declined to say whether President Trump still had confidence in him.CHANG W. LEE/THE NEW YORK TIMES
By MAGGIE HABERMAN and PETER BAKER
June 6, 2017

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions offered to resign in recent weeks as he told President Trump he needed the freedom to do his job, according to two people who were briefed on the discussion. On Tuesday, the White House declined to say whether Mr. Trump still has confidence in his attorney general.

“I have not had that discussion with him,” Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, told reporters in the White House briefing room, responding to questions about whether the president has soured on Mr. Sessions.

Mr. Spicer’s remarks came after The New York Times reported that Mr. Trump had vented intermittently about Mr. Sessions since the attorney general recused himself from any Russia-related investigations conducted by the Department of Justice. Mr. Trump has fumed to allies and advisers ever since, suggesting that Mr. Sessions made a needless decision.

He has also blamed Mr. Sessions for the fallout from an executive order that the president signed putting in place a travel ban on seven primarily Muslim countries, which courts have blocked.

The situation between Mr. Sessions and Mr. Trump has grown so tense that the attorney general told Mr. Trump in recent weeks that he needed the freedom to do his job and that he could resign if that was what was wanted, according to the two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal White House matters. Mr. Trump did not take him up on the offer.
A spokesman for Mr. Sessions declined to comment. A White House spokeswoman did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The frustration at times goes both ways. Mr. Sessions was upset when the president appointed a task force to tackle the opioids crisis in March and tapped Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey to lead it without consulting the attorney general first, according to an administration official who asked not to be named discussing internal matters.

The offer by Mr. Sessions to discuss resigning, however lightly he made it, was a surprising move from one of the president’s earliest and most vocal supporters. Mr. Sessions was an early endorser of Mr. Trump’s candidacy, and his former spokesman, Stephen Miller, is now Mr. Trump’s main speechwriter and a policy adviser.

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Story highlights
  • Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the DOJ Russia probe in March
  • The frustration between President Donald Trump and Sessions has gone both ways

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have had a series of heated exchanges in the last several weeks after Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe, a source close to Sessions told CNN Tuesday.

A senior administration official said that at one point, Sessions expressed he would be willing to resign if Trump no longer wanted him there.
The frustration comes at a critical juncture for Trump. Former FBI Director James Comey is set to testify Thursday about his private discussions with Trump and the Russia investigation has lapped into the White House, with questions about the President's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner.


White House won't say if Trump has confidence in AG Sessions

Tuesday afternoon, White House press secretary Sean Spicer declined to say whether Trump has confidence in Sessions.
"I have not had a discussion with him about that," Spicer said.
As of 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, the White House still was unable to say whether or not the President backs his attorney general, a White House official said. The official said they wanted to avoid a repeat of what happened when Kellyanne Conway said Trump had confidence in Flynn only to find out hours later that the national security adviser had been pushed out.
Sessions remains at the Justice Department, where a spokeswoman told CNN that he is not stepping down.
ABC News first reported Tuesday that Sessions offered to resign.

Brewing since Sessions' recusal

Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe in March, shorty after The Washington Post reported on undisclosed meetings between him and the Russian ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak.
In the three months since Sessions stepped aside, the intensity of the probe has grown exponentially -- culminating in Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's decision to appoint Robert Mueller as special counsel.
The frustration between Trump and Sessions has gone both ways, with Justice Department officials upset that the President's tweets and comments caused problems for Sessions and Rosenstein in the wake of the Comey firing.
CNN has previously reported that Trump was frustrated with Sessions' decision to recuse himself.
Sessions was Trump's first supporter in the Senate and was an enthusiastic backer throughout the campaign -- standing with Trump through multiple controversies. And Sessions' own team has become a part of Trump's inner circle: former Sessions chief of staff Rick Dearborn is now Trump's deputy chief of staff, and former Sessions spokesman Stephen Miller has evolved into a highly influential figure as Trump's policy director and speechwriter.
After the election, Sessions was rewarded with one of the most prominent positions in Trump's new administration, atop the Justice Department.
But pressure has been mounting on Trump over his campaign's communications with Russians. Trump told NBC News that he fired Comey in part because of the Russia probe and Comey, in a memo about a private talk, said Trump pressured him to drop his investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
CNN's Jim Sciutto contributed to this report.
naomba uangalie tweet za trump za 06 jun 2017
 
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