Trump ally and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani swatted away rumors that he was being considered to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday, and contradicted the President by saying Sessions was right to recuse himself from matters related to the 2016 campaign and Russian meddling therein.
Sessions, Giuliani told CNN, “made the right decision under the rules of the Justice Department.”
Sessions recused himself in March after it was revealed he met multiple times with Russia’s ambassador to the United States during the 2016 campaign, despite denying meeting with any Russians during his confirmation hearing, in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Washington Post reported Friday, citing unnamed current and former U.S. officials, that Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak told his superiors that he and Sessions discussed matters related to the Trump campaign, despite Sessions’ past denials of doing so.
Trump expressed his frustration with Sessions in an interview with the New York Times last Wednesday, saying he would not have nominated Sessions to be attorney general if he had known beforehand that Sessions would recuse himself.
On Monday, Trump called Sessions “our beleaguered A.G.” and asked why the attorney general wasn’t “looking into Crooked Hillarys [sic] crimes & Russia relations.”
Axios reported Monday, citing unnamed “West Wing confidants,” that “President Trump is so unhappy with Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he has raised the possibility of bringing back Rudolph Giuliani to head the Justice Department.”
Attacking the principle of recusal was a bold line that I expected mature, rational adults would not cross. It’s nice for optimism to occasionally be rewarded.
How is saying that Sessions made the right decision swatting away rumors that he’s being considered?
The CNN piece says outright that Rudy denied the Axios story.
Also, it’s petty of me, but I rejoice any time any Mike Allen outfit gets proven wrong.
This isn’t going to stop Trump from driving Sessions out of his job.
But might make him have second thoughts about going in the Guiliani direction.
That and I bet that Rudy is teaming with Russian business in his “security” consulting firm.
Whoever was floating the Guiliani option has to be cringing, knowing a tirade is coming his/her way from Trump at some point in the near future.
A question for Consigliere Giuliani: Given your favorable opinion of Sessions recusing himself, and given your involvement in the Trump campaign, should Sessions leave the post of AG and Trump appoint you to replace him, will you recuse yourself?
I thought so.