President Donald Trump asked Jeff Sessions to resign from his position as Attorney General Wednesday, which leaves an opening while former Chief of Staff to the Attorney General, Matthew Whitaker,takes his place on an interim basis.
“We are pleased to announce that Matthew G. Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, will become our new Acting Attorney General of the United States,” Trump announced on Twitter Wednesday morning.
We are pleased to announce that Matthew G. Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, will become our new Acting Attorney General of the United States. He will serve our Country well….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018
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The departure of Sessions leaves an opening in Trump’s Cabinet. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of quality candidates who could take his place.
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One obvious possibility would be to simply keep Whitaker as Attorney General.
Whitaker has been openly critical of the FBI probe led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
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In an Op-Ed published by CNN in August 2017, Whitaker agreed with Trump’s characterization of the Mueller probe.
“The President is absolutely correct. Mueller has come up to a red line in the Russia 2016 election-meddling investigation that he is dangerously close to crossing,” he wrote.
Matt Whitaker in August 2017: “The President is absolutely correct. Mueller has come up to a red line in the Russia 2016 election-meddling investigation that he is dangerously close to crossing.” https://t.co/Jk828W91ES
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) November 7, 2018
Another potential replacement for Sessions could be former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Giuliani, a long-time friend of Trump, is currently serving on Trump’s legal team, which means he is one of the most well-informed when it comes to the Mueller probe.
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Giuliani also has experience working as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he became known for aggressively prosecuting organized crime figures.
In June, Giuliani suggested that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie would be a good candidate for attorney general.
The idea of Christie becoming attorney general has been floated since 2016.
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Christie has been a vocal supporter of Trump and has served as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is also a potential choice.
However, Graham seems content on helping Trump from the Senate.
“As to me, I will be part of a larger Republican majority in the United States Senate — working with the President and my Republican and Democratic colleagues,” Graham said in a statement on Sessions’ resignation.
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.@LindseyGrahamSC on @jeffsessions retirement & rumors he’ll replace him: “As to me, I will be part of a larger Republican majority in the United States Senate — working with the President and my Republican and Democratic colleagues — to make America safer and more prosperous.” pic.twitter.com/HUsHSub6vp
— Abigail Robertson (@AbigailCBN) November 7, 2018
Former California Supreme Court justice and D.C. Circuit Judge Janice Rogers Brown is also a name being floated to replace Sessions.
Brown is a principled conservative and has extensive experience defending the Constitution on the D.C. Circuit Court.
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There are a lot of good potential replacements for Sessions and the lawless left should be worried.
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