Lindsey Graham says Trump's needling of Jeff Sessions is a 'sign of weakness'
President Trump has been publicly toying with Attorney General Jeff Sessions this week, referring to the top Justice official as "beleaguered," criticizing Sessions' decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, and professing from the White House Rose Garden that he is "disappointed" in the former Alabama senator.
But when asked about Sessions' future in the Trump administration, Trump demurred, saying, "Time will tell." Many of Sessions' former Republican colleagues have come to his defense, perhaps none more strongly than Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). While Graham said in a statement Tuesday that Sessions was "one of the most decent people I've ever met in my political life," he took his rhetoric a step further Wednesday by directly criticizing the president's "weakness."
"I would fire somebody that I did not believe could serve me well, rather than trying to humiliate them in public, which is a sign of weakness," Graham said:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In tweets early Tuesday morning, Trump had denounced Sessions for being "very weak" on Hillary Clinton's "crimes." Perhaps, per Graham's comments, it takes one to know one.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
Sheikh Hasina: why ousted Bangladesh PM has been sentenced to deathThe Explainer The country’s longest-serving leader spearheaded a ‘ruthless, state-led crackdown’ of protestors in 2024, and faces extradition from India
-
Morgan McSweeney: has he lost control of Keir Starmer’s No. 10?Downing Street chief of staff is under presssure again after a reported ‘shouty’ row with Wes Streeting
-
The rise of tinned beansThe Week Recommends Protein-packed, affordable and easy to cook with, the humble legume is having a moment
-
Trump DOJ sues to block California redistrictingSpeed Read California’s new congressional map was drawn by Democrats to flip Republican-held House seats
-
GOP retreats from shutdown deal payout provisionSpeed Read Senators are distancing themselves from a controversial provision in the new government funding package
-
Catholic bishops rebuke Trump on immigrationSpeed Read ‘We feel compelled’ to ‘raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity,’ the bishops said
-
House releases Epstein emails referencing TrumpSpeed Read The emails suggest Trump knew more about Epstein’s sex trafficking of underage women than he has claimed
-
Newsom slams Trump’s climate denial at COP30speed read Trump, who has called climate change a ‘hoax,’ declined to send any officials to this week’s summit
-
UK, Colombia halt intel to US over boat attacksSpeed Read Both countries have suspended intelligence sharing with the US over the bombing of civilian boats suspected of drug smuggling
-
Trump pardons 2020 fake electors, other GOP alliesSpeed Read The president pardoned Rudy Giuliani and more who tried to overturn his 2020 election loss
-
Supreme Court to decide on mail-in ballot limitsSpeed Read The court will determine whether states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day
