- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Trump Still Considering Candidates to Replace Attorney General Sessions – Report

© AP Photo / Evan VucciPresident Donald Trump, listens to FBI Director Christopher Wray speak, with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, right, at the FBI National Academy graduation ceremony, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Quantico, Va.
President Donald Trump, listens to FBI Director Christopher Wray speak, with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, right, at the FBI National Academy graduation ceremony, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Quantico, Va. - Sputnik International
Subscribe
In a tweet on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced that the country's Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be temporarily replaced by his chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, and that "a permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date." Earlier, Sessions resigned from the top post at the US Justice Department at Trump's behest.

The White House is still considering an array of candidates to replace US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who stepped down on Wednesday. Two likely candidates are Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

Other possible nominees for the post are the US President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, Transportation Department general counsel Steven Bradbury and former Attorney General Bill Barr.

READ MORE: Trump Sacking US Attorney General Sessions Sparks Panic Over Mueller's Fate

As for Pam Bondi, the WSJ recalled that she is a staunch supporter of Trump who officially backed his election campaign in 2016. Another likely candidate, Azar, was previously cited as saying that he was not interested in the job of US Attorney General.

The developments came after Sessions said in a letter addressed to Trump on Wednesday that he is stepping down at the US President's behest.

Trump tweeted in response that the White House was "pleased to announce that Matthew G. Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, will become our new Acting Attorney General of the United States" and that "he will serve our country well."

READ MORE: Dems Say Trump's Sessions Firing Threatens Mueller's Russiagate Probe

President Donald Trump speaks during the Public Safety Medal of Valor awards ceremony in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018, in Washington. - Sputnik International
Trump: Mueller's Probe of 'Russia Collusion' Based on Fraud
The US President has been critical of Sessions ever since the Attorney General recused himself from the investigation into alleged Russian collusion with Trump's campaign during the 2016 US presidential elections. Both the Kremlin and Trump have vehemently rejected the accusations of collusion.

In September, Trump told Bloomberg that Sessions was safe in his job until November, but declined to say if he would keep Sessions on his team beyond that point.

The US Attorney General's resignation comes after a historic round of midterm elections in which Democrats regained the majority in the House of Representatives, while the Republicans expanded their majority in the Senate.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала