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Trump Mocks Attorney General Sessions for Republican Indictments

Trump said in a tweet that “Democrats, none of whom voted for Jeff Sessions, must love him now.”

Trump Mocks Attorney General Sessions for Republican Indictments
Jeff Sessions, U.S. attorney general, speaks during a Federal Commission on School Safety meeting in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., U.S. (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, blaming Justice Department indictments against two Republican lawmakers for endangering their seats in the November elections.

“Good job Jeff,” Trump said in a tweet, followed by another saying that “Democrats, none of whom voted for Jeff Sessions, must love him now.”

Prosecutors last month charged California Representative Duncan Hunter with corruption for misusing campaign money and New York Representative Christopher Collins with insider trading. The two men were Trump’s earliest supporters in Congress, and the indictments are fodder for Democrats heading into Nov. 6 elections that may give them control of the House.

“Two long running, Obama era, investigations of two very popular Republican Congressmen were brought to a well publicized charge, just ahead of the Mid-Terms, by the Jeff Sessions Justice Department. Two easy wins now in doubt because there is not enough time,” Trump said in his tweet.

Both congressmen have pleaded not guilty in their cases. Frances Townsend, a former federal prosecutor who was a homeland security and counter-terrorism adviser to President George W. Bush, criticized Trump in a tweet of her own.

Trump Mocks Attorney General Sessions for Republican Indictments
Frances Townsend@FranTownsend
Disgraceful, disgusting and most importantly (speaking as a former Federal prosecutor) UnAmerican. The statute of Justice is blindfolded for a reason, it applies to all without fear nor favor ????????
Trump Mocks Attorney General Sessions for Republican Indictments
Donald J. Trump@realDonaldTrump
Two long running, Obama era, investigations of two very popular Republican Congressmen were brought to a well publicized charge, just ahead of the Mid-Terms, by the Jeff Sessions Justice Department. Two easy wins now in doubt because there is not enough time. Good job Jeff......
http://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/statuses/1036681588573130752

Sent via Twitter for iPhone.

View original tweet.

Trump has repeatedly attacked Sessions in private and in public for recusing himself from the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

In an Oval Office interview last week with Bloomberg News, Trump declined to say whether he’d keep Sessions in his job after the election. The president blasted Sessions for failing to rein in what he called an “illegal investigation” by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into whether Trump and his campaign aides colluded with Russians in the 2016 election.

To contact the reporter on this story: Todd Shields in Washington at tshields3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at jmorgan97@bloomberg.net, Alex Wayne, Morwenna Coniam

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