US Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired by Trump
On Wednesday, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions was removed by US President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the US mid-term elections. Sessions, who had been subjected to harsh criticism from Trump and his supporters for stepping aside from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe, became the first casualty of a widely-expected cabinet re-shuffle. Here are the details.
Trump announces Sessions' resignation
Sessions had recused himself from the Mueller probe in 2017
In March 2017, to Trump's ire, Sessions had recused himself from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe on alleged Russian involvement in the 2016 US Presidential Elections. Sessions had stepped aside from involvement and oversight of the investigation, owing to his own Russia contacts. In his stead, Sessions gave Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein the authority to oversee the investigation independently.
Matthew Whitaker has been appointed as the new Attorney General
Sessions has been replaced by his own Chief of Staff, Matthew Whitaker, and now, Whitaker will oversee the Mueller probe. Notably, while Rosenstein was considered to be a stalwart in ensuring the probe's independence, Whitaker has, for a while, been a public critic of the Mueller probe. Whitaker had also described the probe as a "lynch mob" and has vocally defended Trump before.
Whitaker's comments on the Mueller probe
"So I could see a scenario where Jeff Sessions is replaced . . . and that attorney-general doesn't fire Bob Mueller but he just reduces his budget to so low that his investigations grinds to almost a halt," Whitaker had told CNN in 2017.
Democrats want Whitaker to recuse himself from the Mueller probe
The Democrats have called Sessions' removal a brazen effort by Trump to clamp down on the Mueller probe, which is investigating whether Trump was aided by Russian meddling in the 2016 US Presidential Election. Democrats have also called for Whitaker to recuse himself of the investigation, citing his earlier comments about "defunding" and imposing restrictions on the investigation.
Democrats want a pledge from Whitaker
"Whitaker should come before the Senate Judiciary Committee as soon as possible and make a firm commitment not to interfere in the investigation, to include restricting the investigation or making changes in personnel," said Dianne Feinstein, a senior Democrat in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Trump, however, has denied that he will stop the probe
Trump, on his part, has denied that he will try to shut down the Mueller probe. However, he still labelled it a "witch hunt" and "hoax" which had wasted "millions" of dollars. Speaking at a White House conference on Wednesday, Trump had said, "I could fire everybody right now, but I don't want to stop it because politically, I don't like stopping it."
