WASHINGTON, D.C., July 31, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — With rampant rumors that President Trump is considering firing U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Christian leaders and conservative politicians are coming to Sessions’ defense.
Since Sessions recused himself from the probe of Russian hacking into the U.S. election in March, President Trump has lambasted Sessions on social media. Trump has also sharply criticized Sessions for being “very weak” against “Hillary Clinton crimes.”
But Trump’s biggest supporters think Sessions is doing a great job as the nation’s top law enforcement officer and are urging the president to keep him.
“Attorney General Jeff Sessions has in a very short time restored the Justice Department’s reputation as one that upholds the law — not circumvents or undermines it,” praised Family Research Council President Tony Perkins. Sessions “cherishes the Constitution and its protection of our freedom from government oppression.”
“Jeff Sessions is doing what he promised in his confirmation hearings — a refreshing and welcome change for all Americans,” the pro-family stalwart concluded.
“Jeff Sessions has stood with Tea Party Patriots against the lawlessness of the Obama administration,” Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin said in a statement. “He has been one of the strongest and most consistent allies we have, and can think of no better person to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General.”
“I cannot speak highly enough about General Sessions credentials and integrity,” former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, a leader in the Trump transition team, noted. “General Sessions inherited one of the most partisan, abusive Justice Departments in American history. In just under eight months, he has redirected the Department into the crime-fighting, rule-of-law-first institution it was established to be.”
Law enforcement organizations and conservative leaders across the country joined the chorus defending Sessions.
National Sheriffs Association executive director Jonathan Thompson expressed “complete confidence” in Sessions “on behalf of more than 3,000 elected sheriffs in this country.” “Sessions has restored law enforcement’s trust in the federal government and we applaud his efforts to back the men and women in law enforcement.“
Numbers USA’s Rosemary Jenks praised. “There is no one more dedicated to President Trump’s agenda of making America safe again.”
Politicians joined the chorus. Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; Marco Rubio, R-Florida; Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas; Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky; and others praised the beleaguered Attorney General.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, after defending Sessions’ self-recusal as “good judgment,” noted, “Following eight years of organizational and accountability issues plaguing the Department of Justice, Attorney General Sessions’ leadership is needed now more than ever.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, whom Trump is reportedly considering to replace Sessions, laid rumors to rest. “I’m deeply gratified that we have a principled conservative like Jeff Sessions serving as Attorney General,” the former presidential candidate said. “The stories being reported in the media tonight are false. My focus is and will remain on … the U.S. Senate.”
House leaders combined support for Sessions with empathy for Trump’s situation. Rep. Dave Brat, R-Virginia, related, “Trump is frustrated that Sessions acted on mainstream protocol and recused himself … when it wasn’t required.”
Brat went on to colorfully describe the current Democrat/Liberal battle to destroy the Republican president. “From Trump’s vantage point, our guys are fighting like Cub Scouts against a full-on assault.”
Rep. Trent Franks, R-Arizona, calmed concerns with reassurance that the president has not lost confidence in his Attorney General. “He is expressing an opinion that is understandable given the present circumstances,” the veteran congressman said. “But I do not think the president has lost faith in Jeff Sessions. And I certainly haven’t.”
Other conservatives have expressed concern with Trump’s public humiliation of his appointee. Talk show host Rush Limbaugh opined, “It’s a little bit discomforting, unseemly, for Trump to go after such a loyal supporter this way.”
“I think he should keep Jeff Sessions, and I think he ought to quit publicly maligning him,” conservative pundit and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told NPR. “I don’t think this is one of the President’s better moments.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, negatively analyzed Trump’s tweets. “He’s trying to get Sessions to quit and I hope Sessions doesn’t quit,” he said, characterizing Trump’s tweets as a sign of “weakness.”
Graham added that Sessions does not plan on leaving. “He’s a humble man. He says, ‘I’m trying to make a difference here, I want to serve the president well,’ and just, basically he’s not a quitter,” Graham said.
Administration members softened Trump’s criticism of Sessions and tried to quell rumors of a firing.
Vice President Mike Pence, speaking with Fox’s Tucker Carlson, took a conciliatory approach. “What the American people like about this president is he speaks candidly,” Pence pointed out. “He’s expressed his disappointment, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t recognize the good work that the Justice Department has been doing under the Attorney General’s leadership.”
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said plainly that Trump “wants Sessions to lead the department.” Sanders reasoned, “Look, you can be disappointed in someone and still want them to continue to do their job.”
ABC News reports that President Trump has said Sessions’ self-recusal is “one of the top disappointments of his presidency so far.” Trump allegedly considers the Sessions recusal to have been unnecessary and the reason why the Russia investigation expanded with Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Nevertheless, Trump has called rumors that he may replace Sessions during a congressional recess “fake news.”
Taking a step back for insightful perspective, Jake Novak of CNBC observed that Democrats’ strategy of baiting Trump is working.
“Let’s not ignore what’s really happening here,” Novak wrote. “Anti-Trump forces in and out of Washington have successfully ‘gaslighted’ Donald J. Trump over this Russia probe.”
“Gaslighting,” Novak explained, refers to a 1940s movie in which a husband ruthlessly and calculatedly antagonizes his wife to irrationality by manipulating the truth.
“That’s what the constant stream of Democratic politicians’ comments, congressional testimony, and … media coverage has done,” Novak concluded, pointing out that Trump’s enemies have even gone after his family.