All is not well in the Trump administration. From the Russia investigation to a lack of momentum on legislation, the White House appears to be in constant turmoil. And with rumors flying that the president may be looking to replace his press secretary and chief of staff, a new report from the New York Times suggests that Attorney General Jeff Sessions may also be on the way out.
The holdup, according to the Times, is that letting Sessions go now, so soon after dismissing FBI Director James Comey. could prove to be damaging to the president’s fading approval ratings:
“Mr. Trump is said to be aware that firing people now, on the heels of dismissing James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director, would be risky. He has invested care and meticulous attention to the next choice of an F.B.I. director in part because he will not have the option of firing another one. The same goes for Mr. Sessions, these people said.”
Behind the scenes, Trump is said to be very disappointed with Sessions:
“In private, the president’s exasperation has been even sharper. He has intermittently fumed for months over Mr. Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from the investigation into Russian meddling in last year’s election, according to people close to Mr. Trump who insisted on anonymity to describe internal conversations. In Mr. Trump’s view, they said, it was that recusal that led eventually to the appointment of a special counsel who took over the investigation.”
And if Sessions does indeed get the axe, it will be as a direct result of the Russiagate investigation:
“The frustration over the travel ban might be a momentary episode were it not for the deeper resentment Mr. Trump feels toward Mr. Sessions, according to people close to the president. When Mr. Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation, Mr. Trump learned about it only when he was in the middle of another event, and he publicly questioned the decision. A senior administration official said Mr. Trump has not stopped burning about the decision, in occasional spurts, toward Mr. Sessions.”
But as the president may have to learn the hard way, you cannot fire yourself out of a crisis you created. Richard Nixon found that out, and it cost him his presidency.
Featured Image Via PBS
