President Trump didn't even wait until 24 hours after midterm election polls closed to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Trump announced on Twitter Wednesday afternoon that Sessions is out as attorney general and Sessions' chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, will take over until a permanent replacement is named. In his letter of resignation, Sessions makes clear that he was forced out. "At your request, I am submitting my resignation," he wrote. Trump on Twitter thanked Sessions for his service.
It was widely expected that Trump would fire Sessions or ask him to leave after the midterms, as Trump has made it clear that he was unhappy with Sessions ever since he recused himself from the probe into Russian election meddling. Trump publicly berated Sessions for this over and over, saying in September that "I don't have an attorney general."
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The Washington Post reported earlier this week that a number of administration departures would follow after the midterms, potentially including Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Whitaker, the new acting attorney general, wrote in an op-ed last year that Mueller's probe has "gone too far."
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