president Donald Trump said on Thursday
has maligned Attorney General is safe in
his job at least until November Trump
made the comment in an interview with
Bloomberg News I just would love to have
him do a great job
Bloomberg quoted Trump is saying in the
Oval Office
Trump has raged against Jeff Sessions
since his decision to recuse himself
from Russia related matters last year
sessions was the first Republican
senator to endorse Trump as a
presidential contender speculation that
Trump may soon dismiss sessions has
increased in recent days as the two men
trade snipes meanwhile Republican
senators have shown new openness to a
new Attorney General but they have
pressured Trump to wait until after the
midterm elections in November
Bloomberg said Trump declined to comment
when asked if he would keep sessions
passed then he told the new service he
considers special counsel Robert
Mueller's investigation to be an illegal
asked if he would comply with a subpoena
from Mueller Trump said I'll see what
happens and added I view it differently
I view it as an illegal investigation he
told Bloomberg great scholars have said
there never should have been a special
counsel Mueller's investigation was
ordered by Deputy Attorney General
rod Rosen Stein in May 2017 in the scope
of the investigation was laid out by
Rosen signing a classified memo Justice
Department lawyers have previously said
Rosen Stein is aware of the scope and
activities of Mueller's investigation
good evening it's been quite a day we
learned that President Trump said if
Republicans don't do well this November
there will be violence and he didn't
mean it metaphorically actual violence
he said John Berman here in for Anderson
the president said that to evangelical
leaders and we'll tell you more on that
in just a moment first though breaking
news late reporting in the Washington
Post on the possible fate of Jeff
Sessions Attorney General of the United
States and the press
it's longtime personal punching bag
according to the post the president has
in recent weeks
privately revived the notion of firing
him this fall is reporting on Friday
from CNN's Jim Acosta and there is new
urgency now because of what Senator
Lindsey Graham said about sessions
earlier today
and I supported you from the very
beginning he is a it's always been a
friend it's not about the lack of
friendship it's just that I see a
relationship that seems to be
deteriorating by the minute
and we need an attorney general that has
the confidence of the President and if
that can be repaired this relationship
fine but again I just don't see that
happening Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell also weighed in saying he has
total confidence in the Attorney General
however he's not the one who would fire
him the president would the Post Josh
dossie has much more on that his
reporting starts us off
all right Josh what are you learning
still we're reporting tonight that
President Trump on at least two
occasions of the past month has asked
his lawyers about the wisdom of firing
Jeff Sessions his attorney general and
suggested that he wanted to fire Jeff
Sessions obviously is opprobrium and
frustrations with Jeff Sessions are
widely non he is turning him on Twitter
he has made fun of him in interviews
Jeff Sessions has fired back The Wall
Street Journal reported separately this
afternoon that five senators recently
made a remarkable trip over to DOJ to
convince Jeff Sessions to stay let me
just make sure I get this straight he's
asking his lawyers who were representing
him in a criminal investigation about
the wisdom of firing the Attorney
General of the United States right and
it all goes back to what the president
sees as the original sin the recusal
from from Jeff Sessions from the
investigation when these various
developments flare up when there's an
indictment whether it was new the
president doesn't like whether it was
even just a sharp amount of media
attention on the probe he blames Jeff
Sessions maybe more than anyone else and
he goes on long tirade and rants about
as Attorney General he has said to many
people he wants his attorney general
protect him like he thinks Eric Holder
protected Barack Obama and he is not you
know fond of having Jeff Sessions
continued in the job
now what has happened on the flipside
John is that his advisors have said this
really won't solve any of your problems
it will create new problems and
Republican senators and Mitch McConnell
are saying we don't know if we can
confirm anyone else so then you're stuck
with rod Rosen Stein the number two who
is leading the probe already because
Jeff Sessions is recused so let me ask
you your reporting is that again his
lawyers who are representing him in a
criminal investigation were they able to
convince him convince the president that
he shouldn't fire sessions until perhaps
after the midterms for now
though it's always a bit of a delicate
dance and the White House advisors will
say they've convinced a president to do
not to do something and then he will
tweet it but since that we got from
several days of reporting here John is
that the president is going to fire jeff
Sessions at some point it's not gonna
last forever the question is when it's
not if it's a win how does the fact that
senators including Lindsey Graham now I
know there are some senators including
Mitch McConnell saying don't fire jeff
Sessions but there are others now who
seem to be opening the door to the ocean
that they don't think Jeff Sessions
should be there anymore
is that embolden the president well it's
hard to say it is interesting that
Lindsey Graham Chuck Grassley some other
Republicans who are staunch proponents
of Jeff Sessions and has defended him
repeatedly against the president urges a
fireman the past are now saying listen
it's kind of inevitable Lindsey Graham
said today hey Jeff sessions he'll
probably get a new attorney general
Chuck Grassley is basically rooted to
that as well we talked to a number of
senators my colleague Gabriel Poe
granted today
10 15 Republican senators on the hill
and none of them felt that Jeff Sessions
was was safe so when you have a
president who is being not buttressed by
his advisors - you know they're really
trying to convince him not to do
something but he's sensing maybe there
was a window here to do it I think it
does not bode well for the future of
Jeff Sessions and the fact that the
sessions who has been something of a
warrior for the president's agenda on
immigration on ice on other issues
taking a lot of guff from the president
the taunts of tweets now suddenly seems
to be tiring of it a little bit and and
some of some of our reporting indicates
that maybe he just doesn't want to do
this forever - way
come in and be humiliated seemingly
every week by the president for
something that happened a year and a
half ago watch this space
Josh Dorsey thanks so much thanks for
having me all right let's talk about all
of this including what Lindsey Graham
had to say something people quickly
noticed was the complete opposite of
what he once said about firing Jeff
Sessions take a look at that I'm a
hundred percent behind Jeff Sessions the
chairman of the Judiciary Committee
centered 30 chillin tweet yesterday
there will be no confirmation hearing
for a new Attorney General in 2017 if
Jeff session is fired
there will be Holy Hill to pay so from
hell to pay to a okay here to talk about
it to of Harvard Law School's finest
Professor Alan Dershowitz author of the
case against impeaching Trump in his
erstwhile student CNN chief legal
analyst Jeffrey Toobin I actually wants
to liver mail to Harvard Law School so
this is bound to go well tonight
Jeffrey you here Josie Josh das he
basically says it's not a matter of if
it's a matter of when there's nothing
new about musing about firing Jeff
sessions but now that you have some
senators including Lindsey Graham saying
you know what this is gonna happen it
does change the dynamic absolutely and
let's remember what Donald Trump is
angry about is when Jeff session did the
right thing when he recused himself in
the Russia investigation which was
absolutely the right thing to do but
Donald Trump doesn't think the Attorney
General works for the American people he
thinks the Attorney General works for
him like Rudy Giuliani works for him
Jeff Sessions is now a dead man walking
the Republican Party is the Trump party
and they will confirm if they remain in
the majority whoever the president puts
up the the the dominoes have started to
fall Lindsey Graham the other senators
they're not protecting sessions anymore
and he's gone after the oh well we'll
see what they do ultimately if and when
there's a new nominee one thing's clear
the president has the pyre to power to
fire him that can happen without the
Senate whether or not they confirm will
see Allen before we get to that point
the president's asking his personal
lawyers about this he's asking you know
Rudy Giuliani and Jay Sekulow who were
representing him in a criminal case
about firing the Attorney General is
that
appropriate are those the guys should we
go and do well certainly he is asking
them because he wants legal advice to
avoid obstruction of justice or giving
ammunition in any way to Muller and so
he needs advice both from his personal
lawyers and probably also from the white
house counsel the white house counsel
will tell him he's empowered to do it
but it's not a wise idea and then he
wants advice miss personal lawyers which
he's entitled to get because he is under
investigation as to what impact this
could have on the investigation now
let's remember this is deja vu all over
again
Bill Clinton went through this he did
not like Janet Reno he did not like the
fact that she appointed a special
prosecutor but he eventually bit the
bullet and realized that the political
cost of firing Janet Reno who we didn't
get along with and didn't speak to for
the last years of his term would impose
a much higher cost here the stakes are
even greater it's so complicated if
there weren't a special counsel the
president would of course fire sessions
immediately and replace him but the fear
is if he fires sessions he might appoint
somebody who would then fire the special
counsel and went on to the Saturday
night massacre and that would be hell to
pay so I think that Lindsey Graham was
right the first time and not right the
second time I don't think there would be
hell to pay I think you know the
Republican Party is the Trump party now
and if he installs a new Attorney
General that Attorney General may well
fire Robert Mahler and you know Susan
Collins and loosen Bukowski and and inch
and Mitch McConnell they'd say oh I've
real grave concerns about that but he is
the president and he gets to make those
decisions he has a free hand because the
Republican Party will never do anything
to stop Donald Trump professor but
remember that the Democratic Party may
control the house in the next few months
and remember also that until and unless
Muller is fired I don't think he's going
to get fired
he can bring about a hellish result too
so I think he'll toupee is still
appropriate I think the president should
not at this point
fire sessions I think it would create
the appearance that he was trying in
some way to end the investigation he has
the power
do it but I think it would be a terrible
political mistake and also it would be a
mistake in terms of what's best for the
American people and faith in ours our
system of justice
it would create the Imperial and it
would create the fact the only reason I
don't he is interested in getting rid of
Jeff Sessions is because of the Russia
investigation this is right here we have
this a fact issue professor here we have
our old fight again I do not think a
president can be guilty of obstructing
justice by engaging in a
constitutionally protected act but
professes to silence that while I pose
my question here it was ringing just at
the right time for me to get my word in
here whether or not he has the right to
fire Jeff Sessions it is different than
the reason behind firing Jeff Sessions
the president has told us the no look
you can decide later on whether it's
obstructing justice you can't argue that
the president has told us that he
doesn't think Jeff Sessions that are
accused himself and feels betrayed by
the actions of Jeff Sessions he's told
us what he's up so proud about that I
have I have no doubt about that
and he never would have appointed Jeff
Sessions to be Attorney General had he
known the sessions was gonna recuse
himself my disagreement with Jeffrey and
it's a fundamental disagreement and we
may never know the answer to this is
that a president in my view can never be
charged with a crime for exercising his
constitutional authority even if he's
badly motivated the way George HW Bush
was badly motivated when he pardoned
Caspar Weinberger and the five other
people you if the act is
constitutionally authorized that Canada
at the same time be a crime you can't
probe the motive of a president in
deciding whether something's a crime
Jeffery disagrees and if he were in my
class we'd have a great debate about
that and I would grade him a-plus for
his great arguments even though I were
thinking my bad I wish I had gotten the
a-plus in real life ultimately it is in
Jeffrey's opinion maybe not even your
opinion professor that matters here it's
gonna be Robert Muller's that's what
Robert Muller chooses to argue
along the lines of obstruction of
justice we will see we do not know yet
and also to the court it's up to the
court eventually not depending on the
strength of what robert muller writes
the Dasani body might not be a torch it
might be the Congress of the United
States of America
so again Muller has a lot of power here
if he chooses to use it let me ask you
about timing because that's vital here
in Jeffery I think this gets to where
your argument might be wrong which is
that there may not be hell to pay on
November 10th right if he fires Jeff
Sessions there may be hell to pay if
it's next week there's an election going
on here and I could see Republicans
saying whoa whoa whoa whoa this is a bad
idea until November well yes and I think
that's what Mitch McConnell is saying
Mitch McConnell is is defending sessions
for now and I don't think he wants the
tumult of a firing before November
before the election but I think whether
it's before elect Election Day or after
sessions is gone Allen do you think Jeff
Sessions the good Attorney General I
think Jeff Sessions has been a good
Attorney General in many ways look I
don't approve of any of these policies I
don't approve of the immigration
policies I don't approve of the policy
of preventing people from coming into
the country based on countries you know
if you're a trump supporter you might
think he was a good Attorney General but
as a liberal Democrat no I don't think
he's a good Attorney General any more
than I think that the administration is
a good administration as users so you're
asking the wrong person as to whether he
is a good person for Trump he has had a
mixed record he's strong on immigration
and he hasn't been quote loyal but
remember there's another point too we
have a very odd system in America in
which we expect the Attorney General to
be schizophrenic as a member of the
cabinet he's supposed to be loyal to the
president but as the chief law
enforcement officer he's supposed to be
loyal only to objective law enforcement
that's very difficult to do Robert
Kennedy had a tough time doing it many
of the other attorney generals have had
a hard time doing it
that's why presidents often have demand
Loyalists among the Attorney General and
they may not be entitled to have a
loyalist when it comes to the
administration of justice all right
tonight's episode of the soap opera of
Jeff Sessions Allender Schwartz Jeffrey
Toobin thanks so much
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