Jeff Sessions Resigns as Attorney General

By Tyler Durden  /   ZeroHedge

Just one day after Republicans expanded their majority in the Senate, President Trump revealed in a tweet that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has resigned. Matthew G. Whitaker, Sessions’ chief of staff, will become acting Attorney General until Trump can win a confirmation for Sessions’ replacement from the Senate.

Sessions reportedly said in a letter to Trump that he is resigning at the president’s request.

Donald J. Trump✔@realDonaldTrump

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….

11:44 AM – Nov 7, 2018

Donald J. Trump✔@realDonaldTrump

Replying to @realDonaldTrump

….We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date.

11:44 AM – Nov 7, 2018

The news of Sessions’ resignation prompted White House observers to wonder whether Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein might be next, following reports in September that Rosenstein was going to resign after a NYT story which alleged that he had tried to corral members of Trump’s cabinet to invoke the 25th amendment to remove Trump, even suggesting that senior officials surreptitiously record their conversations with Trump.

However, Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, is already saying that protecting the Mueller probe – which Rosenstein oversees – is paramount. Of course, given that Whitaker hasn’t recused himself from the probe, he will now become the most senior DOJ official tasked with overseeing Mueller, whose investigation is said to be winding down after a handful of departures from his team of prosecutors. Whitaker has said publicly that he believes the Mueller probe was violating the law by looking into Trump’s finances.

Speculation has been mounting for months that Trump would fire Sessions – whom Trump has publicly criticized in interviews and tweets over Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from the Mueller probe. Many believe South Carolina Lindsey Graham will be tapped to replace Sessions, speculation that has only intensified following Nikki Haley’s decision to resign as UN Ambassador, which some believe she did to set herself up to succeed Graham (Haley previously served as governor of South Carolina) should he be tapped for Trump’s cabinet.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-07/jeff-sessions-resigns-attorney-general

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