Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions suggested he could soon resign, per an ABC News report. Sessions reportedly offered to leave his position in the Administration if Trump no longer wanted him there.
For the past few weeks, there have been reports of a series of heated exchanges between President Trump and Attorney General Sessions. This came after Sessions recused himself from any connection with the Russia investigation in March, sources told CNN. During one of these exchanges on Tuesday, he offered to resign.
Sessions fraternizing with Russian ambassador
Reports surfaced earlier this year on private conversations between Sessions and Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak. Soon after, Sessions recused himself from any and all investigations into ties between the Trump Administration and Russia.
Sessions joined Trump’s White House team in January despite being accused of voter suppression in the past. Senator Elizabeth Warren testified earlier this year against his appointment on the Senate floor while reading a 1986 letter by Martin Luther King Jr’s widow, Coretta Scott King. The letter, a plea, was written in opposition to Sessions’ appointment as federal district court judge in Alabama.
Warren was able to read part of the letter on the floor when she was called to order and stopped, on accusations that she had the “motive unworthy or unbecoming a senator.”
For the past several months, progressive sites like Moveon.org have circulated online petitions demanding Sessions be removed. One petition, created by Benard Simelton of the Alabama State Conference and president of the NAACP, has so far generated more than 266,000 signatures.
It requires 275,000 to be considered.
In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was questioned about Trump’s confidence in Sessions. He argued, "I have not had a discussion with him about that," CNN reports. So it is presently unclear what loyalty is left between Trump and Sessions.
Does this mean Sessions is resigning?
Will he resign? Right now, there is no clear answer. We only know he “suggested he could resign” from sources at several news outlets. This could have been an empty threat that is analogous with the many outbursts we have seen from this administration.
However, if the American people have noticed any patterns in Trump's White House, it has been a series of resignations and firings from once trusted recruits such as F.B.I Director James Comey and former Attorney General Sally Yates, who was fired when she refused to back Trump's travel ban. Will Sessions remain in the Trump Administration until the bitter end? For now, all we can do is wait.
