Jeff Sessions resigns as Attorney General; Matthew Whitaker will be the actor: NPR

Jeff Sessions, the oldest and most fervent supporter of the congressional president, stepped down as chief prosecutor on Wednesday after the president's brutal criticism, abruptly ending his controversial mandate as a senior official in charge of enforcing the law of the land.

President Trump wrote on Twitter After a press conference on the marathon at the White House, Sessions was unveiled and his chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, will replace acting.

The sessions, 71, did not last two years. But during this brief period, the former Alabama senator successfully ushered in a new era within the Department of Justice.

The sessions threatened so-called sanctuary cities from losing federal funding and announced a "zero tolerance policy" for people illegally crossing the southern border of the United States.

He has decried an imminent wave of violent crime across the country, even though criminologists maintain killings and assaults remain near historic lows in most places.

He ordered federal prosecutors to seize the most serious charges and lengthy prison terms for drug-related criminals, radically reversing President Barack Obama's most visible and bipartisan justice policy.

The sessions were marked by a decline in investigations by the local police. He rescinded the policies ordering federal prosecutors to prosecute only the most important cases involving marijuana in states where the drug was legal. And he renewed his commitment to use private prisons for American detainees and detainees.

A long fuse

The seeds of Sessions' departure were planted during his confirmation hearing. The sessions did everything to prevent from meeting Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign. His former Senate colleagues approved candidacy 52 to 47, despite concerns over allegations of racial and racial insensitivity. hostility to civil rights in its past.

But the sessions quickly ran into problems.

He was forced to correct his testimony before the Senate to indicate that he had in fact met with the Russian ambassador at least twice in 2016. The Capitol Hill Democrats accused him of being in danger. to have made false statements. The disclosure provoked a thorough examination of his actions by the public.

In March 2017, Sessions answered almost daily questions about the possibility of overseeing the ongoing Justice Department investigation into Russia's interference in the elections, given its active role in the campaign, in which he even donned a hat "Make America Great Again". support Donald Trump.

In the end, after consulting with DOJ's ethics officers, Sessions withdrew from the Russia investigation. He cited long-standing rules about conflicts that arise when authorities investigate the campaigns in which they participate.

The disqualification decision was hailed by Democrats and good governance groups. The president had a different reaction.

Two sources close to the situation told NPR that Trump had raged, sometimes profane, in telephone and face-to-face conversations with Sessions. Trump was quick to express his regrets, on social networks and in interviews, about the appointment of Sessions.

The president became even more antagonistic when Sessions MP Rod Rosenstein appointed a special council to investigate Russia following the dismissal of FBI director James Comey by Trump.

Trump called on the DOJ to investigate a "witch hunt" and criticize its leader, former FBI director Robert Mueller, a registered Republican. Trump's allies produced an advertisement attacking Mueller's team for donating to Democratic political campaigns.

All the while, Sessions dodged the questions on the subject, considering its challenge.

But as Mueller hired more than 20 experienced staff members and prosecutors in the areas of fraud, money laundering, organized crime and leadership privilege, Trump exploded. He disparaged Sessions, Rosenstein, Mueller and all post-Watergate practice of US police independence, during an interview with the New York Times in mid-July 2017.

"Sessions should never have recused themselves, and if he wanted to recuse himself, he should have told me that before taking the job and I would have chosen someone from his office." other, "said Trump.

Former Veterans of the Department of Justice have stated that these words testify to a deep misunderstanding of the culture of the Department of Justice and the FBI – who are trying to isolate their work from politics – and from a feeling that Trump acknowledged that he wanted his Attorney General to protect him in the investigation of Russia. and do not get to the bottom of things.

The question gnawed at Trump, who a few days later released a series of tweets early in the morning on July 22, 2017, wondering why Democrats Hillary Clinton and Comey were not being investigated for unspecified offenses. he repeated the question July 24, 2017, designating sessions as "our beleaguered A.G."

The political establishment in Washington, DC, began to wonder aloud how long Sessions could keep its position. At the beginning, former colleagues of the Senate mobilized and helped him, defending his integrity.

Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Told reporters, "If Jeff Sessions is fired, there will be a hell hell to pay." Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who heads the Senate Judiciary Committee, tweeted "no way" Would there be confirmation hearings for a new attorney general in 2017?

For his part, Sessions told Fox News' Tucker Carlson that Trump's comments had been "hurtful" but had served at the whim of the president.

Attorney General of all the rest

The sessions continued to work. He flew to El Salvador for a series of anti-gang meetings at the end of July 2017. There, the Attorney General informed the graduates of an academy to keep him safe. order that he was "blessed" to serve the highest judicial officer of the United States.

"It's an honor I did not expect and would never have thought possible," Sessions said. "And although there are good and bad days in any job, one thing is clear to me, it is a privilege to serve his country with the strength of the world. order by getting up every morning and fighting for the rule of law. "

And the sessions continued to define the main priorities of the Ministry of Justice, including the repression of illegal immigration and support for cases of religious freedom – although these priorities are sometimes in conflict.

His boss, Trump, seemed to have less respect for the justice system. After the special council unveiled the indictments against his campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and Manafort MP Richard Gates, on October 30, 2017, Trump had insisted that he was not responsible for the charges. There was "no collusion" with Russia and reiterated his view that the investigation was a waste of time.

In early November 2017, Trump told reporters, "Many people are disappointed with the Department of Justice, including me." He said he was "frustrated" at not being able to order the DOJ or the FBI to take action in specific cases, noting that Justice Department veterans are considering a serious offense.

At the same time, questions about the behavior of Sessions during the campaign resurfaced after a plea of ​​guilty by former foreign policy assistant George Papadopoulos.

Papadopoulos told prosecutors that he had been trying to arrange a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the campaign and that he had talked about it at a meeting in March 2016 in Bucharest. which involved Trump and Sessions.

"These facts seem to contradict your testimony under oath several times," the Judicial Committee of the House said in a letter to the Attorney General.

The sessions would have another chance on Capitol Hill to explain what he did in 2016 and his ties to Russia. In essence, he argued that he had a shortage of memory and that recent stories about Papadopoulos' plea had refreshed his memories.

"I have always told the truth, and I have answered all the questions as I understood them and as far as I can remember," said the Attorney General at the same time. an audition on November 14, 2017. "But I will not accept nor dismiss accusations of having lied under oath." It's a lie. "

The Sessions lawyer confirmed that in early 2018, the Attorney General had voluntarily sat for an extended interview with specialized investigators, as a witness to the investigation into a possible obstructing justice on the part of the president.

Trump then stated that he was "not concerned" by this interview.

To the dismay of former leaders of the Justice Department, the sessions remained largely silent at the end of 2017, with the president attacking the DOJ as "Deep state" and tweeted the reputation of the FBI was "to Tatters".

And, though he appeared to be taking action by apparently ordering federal prosecutors and FBI agents to seek out Trump's political opponent, Hillary Clinton, his e-mail practices and the Clinton Foundation, that was not enough for conservative members of his own party.

In early 2018, two members of the House of Commons caucus wrote: "It would appear that [Sessions] has no control over the first law enforcement agency in the world. "

The two conservative Republicans in the House also suggested that it was time for the sessions to unfold.

Time goes by

Yet the Department of Justice has made progress.

After the guilty plea of ​​Michael Cohen, Trump's attorney and repairman, and the conviction of Paul Manafort, the former president of the presidential campaign, the same day of August, Trump criticized Sessions for stating to Fox News that the Attorney General had never taken control of the Department of Justice.

The president added that Sessions had only plum work because of the loyalty of Sessions during the campaign. But in a rare defense of himself and his department, Sessions issued a public statement.

"I took control of the Department of Justice on the day of my swearing in. That's why we've had unprecedented success in running the President's program – a program that protects security." and the rights of the American people, reduces violent crime, enforces our immigration laws, promotes economic growth and advances religious freedom, "said Sessions.

Sessions added that as long as he was Attorney General, the Department of Justice "will not be unduly influenced by political considerations".

The sessions said that he was proud of the law enforcement officials and agents he described as the best in the world.