31 July, 2017
Sessions was the first U.S. Senator to endorse him for president when most considered Trump only an after-thought as a serious candidate. Trump continued berating Sessions and the acting head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, calling Sessions "VERY weak" on investigating Clinton.
"I don't think it's on the calendar yet", he told Carlson.
Graham said firing Mueller "could be the beginning of the end" of Trump's presidency. Unlike his predecessor, Sessions does not let his personal opinions influence how he operates as attorney general.
The saga has also prompted questions about Trump's attitude toward the rule of law and rekindled allegations he is trying to quash the investigation or obstruct justice.
In an interview posted on CNN Thursday, Graham weighed in on Trump's continued criticism of Sessions while hinting at the Senate's potential reaction if Sessions is ultimately fired. "Right now, I have no reason to believe that Mueller is compromised".
As Trump hesitated in pulling the trigger to fire Sessions, a growing chorus of the attorney general's supporters said the president should keep Sessions on and stop undermining him in public.
On Tuesday, he said that Sessions should get tougher on the leaks coming from the intelligence community.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke out finally about the constant stream of criticism coming from President Trump through his tweets and pronouncements to the media scolding his own attorney general. "If he wants to make a change, he can certainly do so", Sessions added.
"I hope Jeff Sessions doesn't give in to this humiliation campaign", Graham said in The Times. "The idea that the president would fire Mueller or have somebody fire Mueller because he doesn't like Mueller or Mueller is doing something he doesn't like - then we have become Russia", Graham said.
Donald Trump sits with U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) at Trump Tower in Manhattan, New York, U.S. on October 7, 2016.
"I understand [Trump's] feelings about it, because this has been a big distraction for him", Sessions told Tucker Carlson.
But he defended the president's actions again on Thursday, saying on 101.5 FM's "Ask the Governor" that he doesn't "understand why people object" to Trump airing his discontent for Sessions out in the open.
"We have seen an astonishing increase in the number of leaks of classified national security information in recent months", Sarah Isgur Flores, a Department of Justice spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement.
