Trump On Whether Sessions Stays On As AG: ‘Time Will Tell, Time Will Tell’

President Donald Trump speaks during a joint news conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in the Rose Garden of the White House, Tuesday, July 25, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks during a joint news conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, July 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

President Donald Trump on Tuesday declined to say whether he wants Attorney General Jeff Sessions to keep his job.

“I told you before I’m very disappointed with the attorney general, but we will see what happens, time will tell. Time will tell,” Trump said during a joint White House press conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

Trump said he wants “the attorney general to be much tougher on the leaks from intelligence agencies, which are leaking like — rarely have they ever leaked before, at a very important level.”

“These are intelligence agencies. We cannot have that happen,” he said. “You know many of my views in addition to that, but I think that’s one of the very important things that they have to get on with.”

Asked about his recent public criticism of Sessions and why he was letting Sessions’ job security “twist in the wind rather than making the call for him,” Trump reiterated his criticism of Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

“I don’t think I am doing that, but I am disappointed in the attorney general,” Trump said. “He should not have recused himself almost immediately after he took office. And if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me prior to taking office and I would have quite simply picked somebody else.”

He said Sessions’ recusal was unfair to the institution of the presidency.

“I think that’s a bad thing not for the President, but for the presidency. I think it’s unfair to the presidency,” Trump said. “And that’s the way I feel, thank you.”

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Yes Orange one, time will tell.

  2. Sooooo what are we putting as the over/under on Session’s career… a week?

    Trump didn’t say he’s definitely NOT firing him, so he’d not clearing out his desk today.

  3. Start packing your bags Jeffery, and take Reince Priebus with you on the way out the door.

    The PURGE has begun!

  4. Trump said he wants “the attorney general to be much tougher on the leaks from intelligence agencies, which are leaking like — rarely have they ever leaked before, at a very important level.”

    Have you told that to your f*cking Comms Director who doesn’t seem to understand how to keep his mouth shut and off the tv screen?

    Rump is not only a scumbag but a stupid one as well. The minute Sessions is officially canned, he goes straight to Mueller and starts singing whatever he knows. Maybe Rinse My Prius has enough clout to get Congress to start pushing back on Rump once he’s out as well.

  5. read something that mentioned that trump could fire sessions and then appoint a lacky AG over the recess w/o any confirmation who could in turn fire mueller. And only yurtle can block him…

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

27 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for brooklyndweller Avatar for jjwhack Avatar for ncsteve Avatar for smiley Avatar for bikerdad Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for bluinmaine Avatar for joebob Avatar for mantan Avatar for johnrm Avatar for maxaroo Avatar for nemo Avatar for pabodie Avatar for khaaannn Avatar for wagonmound Avatar for dommyluc Avatar for castor_troy Avatar for katscherger Avatar for erik_t Avatar for krux Avatar for metaghost Avatar for justruss Avatar for glaze_of_boring

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: