Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Tuesday pushed back against President Donald Trump’s latest series of tweets criticizing Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who has increasingly come under fire from the White House in the last week.
“Jeff Sessions is one of the most decent people I’ve ever met in my political life,” Graham tweeted.
He called Sessions a “rock-solid conservative” who “believes in the Rule of Law” and criticized Trump’s call for him to prosecute Hillary Clinton as “highly inappropriate.”
“Prosecutorial decisions should be based on applying facts to the law without hint of political motivation,” Graham tweeted. “To do otherwise is to run away from the long-standing American tradition of separating the law from politics regardless of party.”
Jeff Sessions is one of the most decent people I’ve ever met in my political life. (1)
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 25, 2017
Jeff Session is a rock-solid conservative, but above else he believes in the Rule of Law. He understands we are a nation of laws, not men. 2
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 25, 2017
On occasion, I’ve vigorously disagreed with Jeff but I’ve never once doubted his integrity or sense of fair play. (3)
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 25, 2017
President Trump’s tweet today suggesting Attorney General Sessions pursue prosecution of a former political rival is highly inappropriate. 4
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 25, 2017
Prosecutorial decisions should be based on applying facts to the law without hint of political motivation. 5
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 25, 2017
To do otherwise is to run away from the long-standing American tradition of separating the law from politics regardless of party. 6
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 25, 2017
Trump on Tuesday publicly called on Sessions to investigate alleged “Ukrainian efforts to sabotage” his campaign and claimed the attorney general “has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes.”
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
The remarks were the latest in a long series of grievances Trump has aired over the last week. He told the New York Times on Wednesday that he wouldn’t have hired Sessions as attorney general if he had known Sessions would decide to recuse himself from the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Thursday that Trump “was disappointed” in Sessions’ decision to recuse himself but “clearly” still had confidence in Sessions “or he would not be the attorney general.”
On Monday, Trump labeled Sessions “beleaguered” in another early morning tweet where he asked why Sessions was not investigating “Crooked Hillary’s crimes.”
Newly minted White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci on Tuesday continued his streak of breaking with the official administration line by speculating that Trump “probably” wants Sessions gone.
Responding to a question on whether Trump wants Sessions out, Scaramucci told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, “I have an enormous amount of respect for the attorney general, but I do know the President pretty well, and if there’s this level of tension in the relationship, that’s that public, you’re probably right.”
