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While many average Americans spent Labor Day afternoon dreading their return to jobs that pay them too little and work them too much — those who have jobs, that is — the nation’s commander in chief was busy tapping out tweets.
Not content with his earlier weekend attack on AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka — “a Dem!” as he put it — President Donald Trump decided it was time to trash one of his own while the people were busy with beer and barbecues.
Yes, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, it’s your turn to be publicly humiliated by the boss again. And for what? Doing your job.
“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,” Trump tweeted.
“Two easy wins now in doubt because there is not enough time,” he continued. “Good job Jeff …”
The apparent focus of Trump’s tweets: GOP Reps. Duncan Hunter of California and Chris Collins of New York. Hunter and his wife, Margaret, are accused of diverting campaign funds to personal use, and Collins faces insider trading allegations.
For confirmation, you can check out the president’s Twitter feed. Or you can read what Fox News had to say about his tweets on the network’s website.
Either way, what we have here is the President of the United States suggesting that his attorney general let down their political party by following through with corruption investigations against two fellow Republicans, in keeping with the laws of our country.
Is that what “draining the swamp” was supposed to be about, using the Justice Department to reward party faithful and punishing political enemies?
That isn’t draining the swamp, it’s putting different alligators in charge.
Of course, Trump has never been known to speak his mind with just one tweet, so naturally the anti-Sessions rant continued:
“The Democrats, none of whom voted for Jeff Sessions, must love him now. Same thing with Lyin’ James Comey. The Dems all hated him, wanted him out, thought he was disgusting – UNTIL I FIRED HIM! Immediately he became a wonderful man, a saint like figure in fact. Really sick!”
It’s highly unlikely that Dems love Jeff Sessions, a dyed-in-the-wool conservative whose views on many social issues, especially race, are unlikely to win over any American who agrees with the outcome of the Civil War.
In fact, there are many Americans who agree with Trump’s apparent support for legalizing marijuana over Sessions’ bizarre crusade to ensure it remains a criminal substance and prosecute those who sell and partake of the ganja.
The less trusting among us might suspect that in moving ahead against Hunter and Collins, Sessions is secretly doing the bidding of some anti-Trump faction — Clinton, Comey, Planned Parenthood, maybe a Satan-worshipping pizza shop in D.C.
I propose a more simple theory: Sessions, a lawyer and longtime prosecutor, seems to recognize that one of the Justice Department’s highest callings is to ensure that those entrusted with making our laws abide by them.
Knowing that his boss values personal loyalty above all else, and knowing that the stakes in this year’s midterms are especially high, it’s hard to imagine that Sessions didn’t see Trump’s backlash coming.
Despite that, his agency proceeded with the indictments anyway. Lo and behold, Sessions actually cares about the law. Perhaps he recognizes that many voters still value integrity.
Good luck wrestling that alligator, Mr. President.
