The White House on Wednesday refused again to say whether the attorney general had the confidence of the President.
“I haven’t had a chance to have an extensive conversation with him today, but I certainly plan to ask him that,” deputy White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said, asked about Trump’s confidence in Sessions.
On Tuesday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer similarly refused to say whether Sessions had Trump’s confidence, an ominous sign in light of reports that Trump is still fuming at Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from the investigation into Russian meddling into the 2016 election.
The New York Times reported Monday that Trump tied Sessions’ recusal to Robert Mueller’s appointment as special counsel in charge of the investigation.
Several outlets corroborated the Times’ reporting. The President also lashed out at the Justice Department this week over his revised travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries, which is currently tied up in court.
Citing multiple unnamed sources, ABC News reported Tuesday night that the tension between Trump and Sessions had gotten so bad that Sessions at one point had offered to resign.
White House aide Kellyanne Conway said Wednesday that Trump “has confidence in the people who work for him” — though she expressed a similar sentiment about ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn in February, just hours before Flynn was forced to resign.
Sessions must be quite relieved, honestly—the last thing he needs now is an expression of confidence from Trump.
The problem might be that Sessions keeps a picture of John Mitchell behind bars on his desk.
Personal loyalty to Trump = candidate for Under The Bus Express
What difference would it make if the WH did say that? They lie, Trump undercuts them, they lurch to Trump’s new position, and Trump changes his mind again.
Although it’s an interesting exercise to try to get them to commit to whether Sessions has Trump’s confidence, it is important to remember that there is not a single spokesperson for the POTUS who has any integrity or credibility whatsoever, Not a shred.