Is Jeff Sessions’ job safe?

Probably not. I doubt that anyone’s job is safe in the Trump administration.

However, the Washington Examiner reports that the attorney general has received assurances from the White House that his job is safe. That’s the good news. The bad news is that John Kelly, who gave Sessions the assurances, may not be safe for long in his job of chief-of-staff.

There are good reasons why Sessions may not be in serious danger of being sacked in the short term. The Examiner notes that Sessions has faithfully executed President Trump’s agenda. Does that matter to Trump? I hope so.

A better reason why Sessions’ job may not be in danger is that the administration would almost surely be unable to get a replacement confirmed this year. By next year, the Senate may be in Democratic hands.

Last July, when Trump seemed to be on the verge of sacking Sessions, Sen. Chuck Grassley made it clear that the Judiciary Committee, which he chairs, would not move to confirm a successor any time soon. When Sessions opposed Grassley’s efforts at lenient sentencing legislation, the Iowa Senator called Sessions an ingrate and hinted that he might not stand up for him the next time Trump attacks. However, Grassley seemed more supportive during an interview last week with Bret Baier, saying that Sessions should not be fired.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who appeared with Grassley, told Baier that firing Sessions would “blow up” the Judiciary Committee. To CNN, Graham said “it’s a tough time right now to confirm somebody in a job like that.”

With Sessions out and no replacement confirmed, Rod Rosenstein would run the Justice Department. He’s the guy who decided to appoint a special counsel and to select Robert Mueller for the job.

I suppose Trump could also fire Rosenstein. Who would be in charge of DOJ then? Rachel Brand, who is the number three official, left for a big job at Walmart. I think the Solicitor General, Noel Francisco, would be next in line. Francisco is a terrific lawyer and a very solid conservative. But he would face a huge learning curve transitioning from SG to Attorney General.

In any event, I don’t believe Trump wants a replay of Nixon’s “Saturday Night Massacre.” It would bring the Russia probe back to the fore and confirm the Democrats’ “chaos narrative.” It would thus be a gift to Democrats heading into the mid-term elections.

So maybe Sessions’ job is fairly safe until November.

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses