President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions played nice during a meeting Thursday afternoon in the Oval Office, despite fighting publicly just hours earlier about how the former Republican senator has performed at his job atop the Justice Department.
One source described the meeting as a “win” to the Washington Examiner. The meeting, which was about criminal justice reform, stayed on topic, the source said.
The meeting with White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, and White House communications director Mercedes Schlapp was pre-planned, but came hours after Trump told Fox News early Thursday morning that Sessions “never took control of the Justice Department.”
Trump has continually criticized Sessions for recusing himself from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election meddling, blaming him for the ongoing “witch hunt.”
[Opinion: Trump can disparage Jeff Sessions all he likes, but he’s in trouble if the AG quits now]
Sessions, through a department spokesperson, defended his job performance in a statement moments before arriving at the White House — though he did not mention the president by name.
“I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in,” Sessions said. “[W]hich is why we have had unprecedented success at effectuating the president’s agenda.”
Lawmakers worry Trump could fire Sessions and are split on whether they would vote to support Trump’s replacement pick. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein oversees Mueller’s investigation, and would assume acting attorney general duties should Sessions leave his post.
Some Senate Republicans warned that they cannot replace Sessions if Trump removes him, though there is chatter that he could be canned post-midterms.
Following the meeting, it was revealed that Trump would back criminal justice reform legislation that has bipartisan support in the Senate — but wait until after the midterms.
“This news is a major disappointment to the overwhelming majority of Americans who care about increasing public safety, and want Washington to take action,” said Mark Holden of Koch Industries, who has been present at numerous criminal justice reform meetings at the White House. “Though it may take a little longer than we had hoped, we remain committed to working with anyone who believes in passing smart-on-crime reforms that protect our communities, save money, and help people who want a second chance.”
Holden told the Washington Examiner that Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, told him “it will happen after midterms.”
The legislation is sponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who has chided Sessions, a former committee colleague, for not backing the bill.
Grassley said earlier Thursday that there is room for holding hearings on new nominees sent to Congress by the president, after he dismissed such an idea last summer when rumors Sessions be forced from the administration were swirling around Washington.
