Attorney General Jeff Sessions offered his resignation on Wednesday, a day after the midterm elections.
According to Sessions’ resignation letter, his move came at the request of President Donald Trump.
Trump had indicated during a news conference earlier in the day there would be changes in his cabinet now that the midterm elections were over.
He tweeted afterwards that Matthew Whitaker, chief of staff to the Attorney General, would be taking over for Sessions.
“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,” Trump wrote.
Did Trump make a wise decision calling for Sessions’ resignation?
Trump had voiced his frustration with Sessions on multiple occasions following the DOJ chief’s decision to recuse himself from overseeing the Russia investigation in March 2017.
The president stated that he never would have appointed Sessions had he known the former Alabama senator would make that decision, which precipitated the naming of Robert Mueller as special counsel over the Russia probe.
He cited efforts directed toward enforcing immigration laws and cracking down on “transnational gangs,” as well as prosecuting those contributing to the opioid epidemic.
“If they can’t repair this relationship, and I don’t see that happening, the president deserves an attorney general he feels confident in that can lead the Department of Justice in a more effective way,” Graham stated.
He counseled at the time for Trump to wait until after the midterm elections to make a change.