The midterm votes aren’t even done being counted yet, but Trump moved swiftly to remove his own appointee to the head of the attorney general’s office, Jeff Sessions. The two have clashed since Sessions, following the actual rule of law and ethics, recused himself from the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into the alleged collusion between the Trump 2016 presidential campaign and Russian government operatives. He did so after it was revealed that he had lied to Congress about his contacts with Russians during the campaign and transition period.
Sessions’ resignation letter was quite telling, with the now former attorney general including in the first line that he is resigning at Trump’s request and not of his own volition.
He went on to say:
‘Since the day I was honored to be sworn in as Attorney General of the United States, I came to work at the Department of Justice every day determined to do my duty and serve my country. I have done so to the best of my ability, working to support the fundamental legal processes that are the foundation of justice.
‘The team we assembled embraced your directive to be a law and order Department of Justice.”
Sessions:
"Dear Mr. President,
At your request, I am submitting my resignation." pic.twitter.com/DwRXh5joPF
— erica orden (@eorden) November 7, 2018
The final two paragraphs were a reminder to Trump that Sessions has followed the rule of law, which was Trump’s talking point during the presidential campaigns.
‘Most importantly, in my time as Attorney General we have restored and upheld the rule of law – a glorious tradition that each of us has a responsibility to safeguard. We have operated with integrity and and have lawfully and aggressively advanced the policy agenda of this administration.
‘I have been honored to serve as Attorney General and have worked to implement the law enforcement agenda based on the rule of law that formed a central part of your campaign for the presidency.’
Now that the midterms have ended, Sessions is not expected to be the only resignation. For now, Americans can only speculate about who else in the Trump administration will meet with demands to resign.
Featured image via Flickr by Gage Skidmore under a Creative Commons license
