If Jeff Sessions resigns, it’ll be far easier for Special Counsel Robert Mueller to nail Donald Trump
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has offered to resign, and while we’ll have to wait to see whether Donald Trump takes him up on it, make no mistake: if Sessions does depart, it’ll make things much worse for Trump. That’s because of who would take Sessions’ place by default, and whom that person is already aligned with.
If Donald Trump accepts Jeff Sessions’ resignation, there won’t be a replacement Attorney General any time soon. No one new wants to work for a deteriorating Trump at this point, as evidenced by the growing number of major unfilled vacancies in his administration. Even if he did nominate a new Attorney General, it would be someone personally loyal to him – and at this point the Senate would never even consider confirming someone who’s likely to try to rig the investigation in Trump’s favor.
That means current Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein would become Acting Attorney General, and would likely hold that title for quite some time. Rosenstein has already inherited the Trump-Russia investigation thanks to Sessions’ earlier recusal. Rosenstein is also the one who appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller. So if Sessions exits and Rosenstein takes over, that would make things far easier for Mueller. Sessions would no longer be there to try to unofficially meddle anymore, and we already know that Rosenstein has put all his own chips down on Mueller.
Trump’s only reason to get rid of Jeff Sessions would be out of pure spite over the fact that Sessions recused himself. Doing so would cost Trump dearly. Then again, Trump only got rid of FBI Director James Comey out of spite, and that’s the ill fated move that put him in the current situation. So it wouldn’t be shocking if Trump does end up dumping Sessions – but it would be a terrible move for him, and it would be Christmas in June for Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
