Just hours after Republican party lost control of the House of Representatives, President Donald Trump forces out Attorney General Jeff Sessions and appoint a loyalist, Matthew G Whitaker, as the acting attorney general.
We are pleased to announce that Matthew G. Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, will become our new Acting Attorney General of the United States. He will serve our Country well….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018
In his resignation letter, Sessions said he was honoured to have worked “to implement the law enforcement agenda” that formed a central part of the Trump campaign for presidency. We did our part to restore immigration enforcement.”.
….We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018
Trump’s move prompted criticism from Democrats, who said he was seeking to undermine the Russia probe.
Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader who could be the next speaker, said in a statement on Twitter that Sessions’ ouster was a “blatant attempt” to undermine the Russia probe. She urged Whitaker, who now oversees Special Counsel Robert Mueller and has argued Mueller’s investigation has gone too far, to recuse himself from any involvement.
Democrats will now head House committees that can probe the president’s tax returns, which he has refused to turn over since he was a candidate, possible business conflicts of interest and any links between his 2016 campaign and Russia, a matter being investigated by Mueller.
