37 votes

Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigns at Trump's request

Topic removed by site admin

18 comments

  1. [5]
    Diet_Coke
    Link
    Who's going to be in charge of the DOJ in the meantime? The guy who wrote this steaming pile: https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/06/opinions/rosenstein-should-curb-mueller-whittaker-opinion/index.html

    Who's going to be in charge of the DOJ in the meantime? The guy who wrote this steaming pile:

    https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/06/opinions/rosenstein-should-curb-mueller-whittaker-opinion/index.html

    14 votes
    1. Deimos
      Link Parent
      There are some opinions coming out today that appointing Whittaker is unconstitutional or illegal, because he's not legally qualified to hold the position (due to lack of Senate confirmation):...

      There are some opinions coming out today that appointing Whittaker is unconstitutional or illegal, because he's not legally qualified to hold the position (due to lack of Senate confirmation):

      8 votes
    2. [4]
      Comment removed by site admin
      Link Parent
      1. [3]
        rkcr
        Link Parent
        They're actually pulling the trigger on it now. 5PM in your timezone tomorrow.

        Just a reminder, in case Trump does fire Mueller or impacts the investigation, here is the link to the Move On rapid response plan.

        They're actually pulling the trigger on it now. 5PM in your timezone tomorrow.

        14 votes
        1. neu
          Link Parent
          I believe this is if the AG doesn't recuse himself before that time. I am betting that does not happen, so I'd imagine protests are happening.

          I believe this is if the AG doesn't recuse himself before that time.

          I am betting that does not happen, so I'd imagine protests are happening.

          5 votes
        2. [2]
          Comment removed by site admin
          Link Parent
          1. Diet_Coke
            Link Parent
            I'm traveling for work in southern MD but very strongly considering going and pretty close to DC. Gotta figure out logistics, but maybe I'll see you there! Representing all the Tilderinos.

            I'm traveling for work in southern MD but very strongly considering going and pretty close to DC. Gotta figure out logistics, but maybe I'll see you there! Representing all the Tilderinos.

            3 votes
  2. [13]
    Algernon_Asimov
    Link
    Fuck that. Either resign out of principle, or hold on and force him to fire you. Don't give Trump the easy way out. Resign and write a letter saying how you can't continue to work for a president...

    "At your request, I am submitting my resignation," Sessions wrote in an undated letter to the president.

    Fuck that. Either resign out of principle, or hold on and force him to fire you. Don't give Trump the easy way out. Resign and write a letter saying how you can't continue to work for a president like this. Or stay in the job, do it well, and force him to be the bad guy and fire his own Attorney-General.

    I don't understand why people resign at someone else's request. If they want you gone, make them fire you.

    10 votes
    1. [2]
      Deimos
      Link Parent
      I don't know if it's relevant in this case, but it's my understanding that a lot of jobs tie things like severance to whether the person quit or was fired. If they're fired, they won't receive...

      I don't know if it's relevant in this case, but it's my understanding that a lot of jobs tie things like severance to whether the person quit or was fired. If they're fired, they won't receive severance, can lose out on some post-employment benefits (certainly not relevant here, but sometimes can't apply for unemployment), and so on.

      6 votes
      1. Algernon_Asimov
        Link Parent
        That might matter to some working-class labourer or even a middle-class mid-level manager, but I don't think the former Attorney-General of the United States of America needs to worry about money!...

        That might matter to some working-class labourer or even a middle-class mid-level manager, but I don't think the former Attorney-General of the United States of America needs to worry about money!

        A factory-floor worker or retail assistant or call centre team supervisor probably isn't going to be asked to resign anyway. They'll just be fired. Being asked to resign seems to be something that happens only in high-level, executive-type jobs.

        10 votes
    2. [4]
      goodbetterbestbested
      Link Parent
      In DC-speak, "At your request, I resign" is the same as being fired. He didn't have to include the "at your request."

      In DC-speak, "At your request, I resign" is the same as being fired. He didn't have to include the "at your request."

      4 votes
      1. [3]
        Algernon_Asimov
        Link Parent
        He didn't have to include the "at your request." True. But he also didn't have to include the "I resign". He didn't have to resign at all.

        He didn't have to include the "at your request."

        True. But he also didn't have to include the "I resign". He didn't have to resign at all.

        2 votes
        1. [2]
          goodbetterbestbested
          Link Parent
          He's a consummate GOP operative. He is no #ResistTrump type of person. Sessions stayed on as long as he could given the political circumstances. Then Trump fired him. He wrote the boilerplate DC...

          He's a consummate GOP operative. He is no #ResistTrump type of person. Sessions stayed on as long as he could given the political circumstances. Then Trump fired him. He wrote the boilerplate DC "letter of resignation."

          Can you name a Cabinet-level official in recent memory who, in reaction to their "being asked to resign," decided to write a document referring to it as a firing and therefore immediately going on the offensive against the president? No, because Cabinet-level officials try to reduce damage to the president even when fired. They are party loyalists.

          2 votes
          1. Algernon_Asimov
            Link Parent
            As an Australian observer? No.

            Can you name a Cabinet-level official...

            As an Australian observer? No.

            2 votes
    3. [4]
      Supernova
      Link Parent
      Despite the wording that's almost assuredly what happened.

      Despite the wording that's almost assuredly what happened.

      1 vote
      1. [3]
        Algernon_Asimov
        Link Parent
        Yes, Trump has fired Sessions. But Sessions didn't make Trump actually go through the rigmarole of firing him. He just walked out, and made things easy for Trump. After all, it's not like Trump...

        Yes, Trump has fired Sessions. But Sessions didn't make Trump actually go through the rigmarole of firing him. He just walked out, and made things easy for Trump. After all, it's not like Trump doesn't know how to say those two little words... "You're fired!"

        Make Trump the bad guy. Make him fire the Attorney-General who he appointed and who hasn't actually done anything wrong. Don't make life easy for the person who's kicking you out of your job!

        5 votes
        1. [2]
          Supernova
          Link Parent
          While that's true, I think it's a bit much to expect from Trump's hand picked people. Even republicans outside of his circle circle the wagons and rally around him like that, with regularity. But...

          While that's true, I think it's a bit much to expect from Trump's hand picked people. Even republicans outside of his circle circle the wagons and rally around him like that, with regularity. But has Trump even gone through with "You're fired" even once? There's such a long list so I'm not sure. They've all sort of just slinked off without much fuss. So to me, even as they're being shuffled out of their seats, they mostly follow the same path and leave without much commotion. It would be news to me if one did otherwise.

          6 votes
          1. Algernon_Asimov
            Link Parent
            Right. They're all letting him get away with this behaviour. Not one of them is holding him accountable by making him actually say "You're fired."

            They've all sort of just slinked off without much fuss. [...] It would be news to me if one did otherwise.

            Right. They're all letting him get away with this behaviour. Not one of them is holding him accountable by making him actually say "You're fired."

            1 vote
    4. [2]
      NoblePath
      Link Parent
      I'm as disappointed as the next guy that trump has not lived up to his bluster, but I think your expectation that a principled actor in sessions ' position would not tender their resignation upon...

      I'm as disappointed as the next guy that trump has not lived up to his bluster, but I think your expectation that a principled actor in sessions ' position would not tender their resignation upon request reveals a strong naïveté as to the strength and pervasiveness of cultural imperatives at the elite level.

      1 vote
      1. Algernon_Asimov
        Link Parent
        I do tend towards naïveté at times: I'm a very open, honest, direct, and even blunt person. I don't do machinations and subtlety and face-saving and all that crap. So, if someone wants to fire me,...

        I do tend towards naïveté at times: I'm a very open, honest, direct, and even blunt person. I don't do machinations and subtlety and face-saving and all that crap. So, if someone wants to fire me, then they'll have to pull the trigger themself; I'm not going to commit professional suicide for the sake of their reputation.

        And I'd like to think that someone who serves in the role of Attorney-General - a role focussed on law and justice - would have a similar level of integrity.

        I know it won't happen that way: I'm not that naïve! But that won't stop me saying it should happen that way.

        1 vote