White House staff are now hiding Jeff Sessions from Trump
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have learned the hard way that breakups are rough.
Ever since Sessions recused himself from overseeing the investigation into whether Trump's campaign was involved with Russian interference in the 2016 election, things have been awkward. Trump is publicly criticizing him for letting the investigation drag on, while Sessions obliquely sucks up to his boss with thinly-veiled attempts to stay on the #MAGA train.
Despite Sessions' best effort to stay out of Trump's voluminous hair, the two can't avoid each other at Cabinet meetings — but they can try. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that White House staffers seat Sessions strategically during meetings, hoping to keep him out of Trump's line of sight.
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.
The attorney general rarely speaks directly with Trump, sources told the Journal. Trump sees Sessions as "the catalyst" for all the headaches the Russia investigation has created for the administration, an official said. Perhaps officially severing his previously strong ties with Sessions, it appears Trump has a new BFF in the Justice Department: He has begun embracing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, calling their relationship "fantastic."
Sessions might benefit from a lesson from former FBI Director James Comey, who once hid in the Oval Office curtains to avoid Trump — once the president starts angrily tweeting about you, it's all over.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
Russia’s ‘cyborg’ spy pigeonsUnder the Radar Moscow neurotech company with Kremlin-linked funding claims to implant neural chips in birds’ brains to control their flight, and create ‘bio-drones’
-
Political cartoons for February 8Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include going down the drain, American history, and more
-
Touring the vineyards of southern BoliviaThe Week Recommends Strongly reminiscent of Andalusia, these vineyards cut deep into the country’s southwest
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
