Category: *45th POTUS Donald Trump

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Jeff Sessions’ Resignation: “Not Unexpected”

Jeff Sessions has resigned as U.S. Attorney General, at the request of Donald Trump, effective November 7, 2018. As head of the Justice Department, Sessions has been seen as an impediment to Trump’s attempts to end the Justice Department’s investigation of the Trump campaign’s alleged collusion with Russia. Sessions took continual public criticism from Trump, and many have felt it was just a matter of time before Sessions would be gone – either by firing or by resignation.

Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, told Vox magazine, “This was not unexpected. Sessions tolerated more abuse from Trump than any Cabinet member should have to endure. Yet, he soldiered on out of a sense of duty.”

Trump’s Ongoing Scorn of Sessions

Trump’s ongoing public scorn of Jeff Sessions largely stems from Sessions’ recusing himself from the Trump-Russia investigation, due to his own associations with Moscow. It should be noted that several Former Justice Department officials praised Sessions at the time for doing so.

“I’m confident I made the right decision,” Sessions told Tucker Carlson of Fox News. “The decision is consistent with the rule of law. And an attorney general who doesn’t follow the law is not very effective in leading the Department of Justice.”

Trump, however, has publicly derided Jeff Sessions for his recusal from the probe. Trump has told Fox News. “I put in an attorney general who never took control of the Justice Department. Even my enemies say that ‘Jeff Sessions should have told you that he was going to recuse himself and then you wouldn’t have put him in.’”

Trump told the New York Times, “Sessions should have never recused himself, and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job, and I would have picked somebody else.”

Trump’s Attempts to Force Sessions’ Resignation

Following Jeff Sessions’ recusal from the Trump-Russia probe, special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to lead the investigation. Mueller’s appointment has led to multiple indictments of Trump cronies, and this has fueled Donald Trump’s ire at Jeff Sessions, too, for not preventing Mueller’s actions.

Trump’s apparent attempts in 2017 via Twitter taunts to force Jeff Sessions to resign are under investigation by Robert Mueller as a possible effort to obstruct the Russia investigation. If these allegations are found to be true, Trump could face criminal charges.

Removal of Barriers to Squelching the Trump-Russia Probe

Jeff Sessions’ resignation removes the barrier to eliminating Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is the only one with the power to fire Robert Mueller. If Rosenstein were removed, Trump could order his replacement to fire Mueller, thus possibly ending the Russia investigation.

Jeff Sessions was the first senator to endorse Trump during his run for the presidency. He may also be Donald Trump’s biggest and most consistent promoter of Trump’s agenda. Sessions’ forced resignation makes it apparent that, even greater than a desire for loyalty is Donald Trump’s desire to squelch the Trump-Russia probe.

Trey Gowdy: Sessions was a ‘dead man walking’ for months | Fox News [2018-11-07]

Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired | CNN [2018-11-07]

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Donald Trump’s Impact on 2018 Votes

No matter how voters plan to cast their ballots in the 2018 election, the majority of voters polled say that their vote is, to some degree, a referendum on Donald Trump. In a recent NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, about two-thirds of voters said that Trump would be an influence in how they will vote this year.

Most voters who responded said they will vote Democrat. In fact, Democrats now have 10-point lead over Republicans when it comes to the question of how people are responding to Trump with their votes. Women (especially suburban women and white women with college degrees), non-white voters, and Independent voters, are driving the disparity.

It appears that the 2018 election will be driven largely by women. Fifty-one percent of women overall, and 54 percent of suburban women say their impressions of Trump will impact how they vote. Of those women who responded to the poll, 64 percent said that they were more likely to vote Democratic. Thirty-two percent said they planned to vote Republican.

Of those who say that Donald Trump has influenced their motivation to vote Republican, as expected, the group looks similar to Trump’s base: white evangelical Christians, white people (especially men) without college degrees, married men, and rural voters.

Health care and climate change are the top voting issues for those voting Democrat. Jobs, the economy, and immigration were the top issues for those who plan to vote Republican.

As it turns out, the GOP tax cuts may not have helped the Republicans in the 2018 elections. Forty -five percent say that the tax cuts have made them more likely to vote for a Democrat in a 2018 Congressional election. Only thirty-nine percent of those polled are more likely to vote Republican as a result of the tax cuts.

Though Donald Trump has said he would deny any responsibility if the Democrats take the House in 2018, he has, on the other hand, frequently told his base on the campaign trail that a vote for a Republican is a vote for him.

“I’m not on the ballot,” Trump told a crowd in Southhaven, Miss. “But in a certain way, I’m on the ballot. So, please go out and vote.”

So, as Trump and his supporters see it, voting for a Republican in any race is a vote for Donald Trump. On the other hand, for them, voting for a Democrat doesn’t equate to voting against Donald Trump.

At the end of Election Day 2018, Donald Trump and his supporters will note a clear winner if they keep the House. But if the Democrats take the House, it seems likely that they will consider trying to bury the idea of Donald Trump’s impact on the elections.

Trump viewed as important factor in Americans’ vote: poll | Fox Business [2018-11-01]

Donald Trump On Midterms: A Vote For [Insert Name Here] Is A Vote For Me | The 11th Hour | MSNBC [2018-1015]

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