Republican strategist Karl Rove urged President Trump on Friday to stop attacking the Justice Department and Attorney General Jeff Sessions for not probing people he believes don’t support him.
“I think it’s unwise for any president of any party to look like he is demanding that the Justice Department investigate his political opponents. It is just unseemly,” Rove said during an interview with Fox News. “This isn’t how we should do things in America.”
Rove, who was White House chief of staff for former President George W. Bush, said DOJ critics should consider the issue from a different perspective.
“What if Hillary Clinton had won the election?” he asked. “Would we be excited about Hillary Clinton calling upon her attorney general to investigate Donald Trump over the meeting at Trump Tower?”
Rove also said that Trump should not fire Sessions even if it were possible to confirm another top law enforcement officer after the 2018 midterm elections.
“I must admit, I’ve known Jeff Sessions for
a long time,” he said. “I think it is a big mistake for the president to force him out of office. That confirmation battle, even if successful, will leave the president bleeding all over the place.”
Rove’s comments come after Trump declined to tell Bloomberg Thursday whether Sessions would still have a job come November. The president also sharply criticized the Justice Department Thursday night at a rally in Indiana.
“What’s happening is a disgrace. I wanted to stay out … but I will get involved,” said Trump. “The whole world is watching and the whole world gets it, and the whole word understands what is going on.”
