Tag: Jeff Sessions

Why deporting the ‘Dreamers’ is immoral

The following article by Michael Blake, Professor of Philosophy, Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington, was posted on the Conversation website February 28, 2018:

Credit: Gili Getz / Movimiento Cosecha

On Feb. 26, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a federal judge’s order that the Trump administration continue the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

It was back in September 2017 that President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the end of the Obama-era program that shields hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. Sessions argued that this program rewarded those who disobeyed the laws of the United States. The United States has an obligation to “end the lawlessness” of DACA, he argued, by winding down the program and, at the same time, making a case for the deportation of the “Dreamers” or those previously protected by DACA. Continue reading “Why deporting the ‘Dreamers’ is immoral”

Jeff Sessions makes 2 ridiculous claims about the opioid crisis in less than a minute

The following article by Aaron Rupar was posted on the ThinkProgress website February 7, 2018:

“Sometimes, you just need to take two Bufferins or something and go to bed.”

Credit: Screengrab

Speaking at a Heritage Foundation event to commemorate Ronald Reagan’s birthday on Tuesday night, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said his plan for solving the opioid crisis is more Bufferins and less marijuana.

Alluding to the 7 percent drop in opioid prescriptions last year, Sessions said “my goal in 2018 is to see a further decline,” adding that “we think doctors are just prescribing too many.”

“Sometimes, you just need to take two Bufferins or something and go to bed,” Sessions added. Bufferin is an over-the-counter aspirin brand. Continue reading “Jeff Sessions makes 2 ridiculous claims about the opioid crisis in less than a minute”

Sessions’ war on pot could speed up marijuana legalization nationwide

The following article by Paul Seaborn, Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Daniels College of Business, University of Denver, on the Conversation website February 6, 2018:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently clarified how the Trump administration intends to treat states that have legalized pot, which remains illegal on the federal level.

The Obama administration eventually took a relatively hands-off approach to this enforcement conundrum. But Sessions instructed all United States attorneys to treat cannabis-related activities like any suspected crime, instead of making them a low priority if they comply with state laws. Continue reading “Sessions’ war on pot could speed up marijuana legalization nationwide”

Citizenship question drives uncertainty over 2020 census

The following article by Lydia Wheeler was posted on the Hill website February 6, 2018:

© Getty Images

Uncertainly is swirling over whether the Census Bureau will be able to get an accurate population count for the 2020 census, as the agency considers a Department of Justice (DOJ) request to add a controversial question about citizenship status to the census questionnaire.

The stakes are enormously high.

Census data is used to redraw House districts, and the number of House seats each state receives also plays a part in determining each state’s number of electoral votes. Continue reading “Citizenship question drives uncertainty over 2020 census”

Sessions Silent as Trump Attacks His Department, Risking Independence and Morale

The following article by Katie Benner was posted on the New York Times website February 4, 2018:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, left, in Washington last week with his top leaders, Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, and Rachel Brand, the associate attorney general. Credit Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters

WASHINGTON — As President Trump hammers away at the Justice Department’s credibility, one voice has been notably absent in the department’s defense: the one at the top.

The attorney general, Jeff Sessions, has been largely quiet and even yielding as the president leads the most public and prolonged political attack on the department in history, a silence that breaks with a long tradition of attorneys general protecting the institution from such interference.

“What is unusual is the F.B.I. and the Justice Department being attacked, the president leading the charge and the attorney general missing in action,” said Jack L. Goldsmith, a Harvard law professor who headed the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel under President George W. Bush. “Why isn’t he sticking up for the department?” Continue reading “Sessions Silent as Trump Attacks His Department, Risking Independence and Morale”

GOP lawmakers say Trump would make mistake in firing Rosenstein

The following article by Scott Wong was posted on the Hill website January 31, 2018:

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein appears at the Global Cyber Security Summit in London this month. (Credit: Mary Turner/Reuters)

Republicans say President Trump would be making a big mistake in firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

The Justice Department’s No. 2 official has been in the president’s crosshairs since appointing special counsel Robert Mueller to lead the agency’s Russia investigation.

He’s the only official who could fire Mueller given Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s decision to recuse himself from Russia-related matters.

Some Republicans are now worried that a soon-to-be-released memo from GOP staff on the House Intelligence Committee could hand Trump more ammunition to fire Rosenstein — a move they fear would boomerang on the White House and Republicans running for reelection in the House and Senate. Continue reading “GOP lawmakers say Trump would make mistake in firing Rosenstein”

Justice Dept. officials appealed to White House to halt release of memo alleging FBI abuses related to author of Trump dossier

The following article by Josh Dawsey and Devlin Barrett was posted on the Washington Post website January 30, 2018:

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein warned White House Chief of Staff John Kelly Monday about the risks of releasing the document. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Top Justice Department officials made a last-ditch plea Monday to White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly about the dangers of publicly releasing a memo alleging abuses by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to people briefed on the meeting.

Shortly before the House Intelligence Committee voted to make the document public, Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein warned Kelly that the four-page memo prepared by House Republicans could jeopardize classified information and implored the president to reconsider his support for making it public, those people said. Rosenstein was joined in the meeting at the White House by FBI Director Christopher A. Wray. Continue reading “Justice Dept. officials appealed to White House to halt release of memo alleging FBI abuses related to author of Trump dossier”

Trump sought release of classified Russia memo, putting him at odds with Justice Department

The following article by Ashley Parker, Rosalind S. Helderman, Josh Dawsey and Carol D. Leonnig was posted on the Washington Post website January 27, 2018:

President Trump on Jan. 24 suggested that he could be investigated for obstruction of justice for his decision to “fight back” against the Russia probe. (Video: David Nakamura/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

On Wednesday, as Republicans were clamoring to make public a secret document they think will undercut the investigation into Russian meddling, President Trump made clear his desire: Release the memo.

Trump’s directive was at odds with his own Justice Department, which had warned that releasing the classified memo written by congressional Republicans would be “extraordinarily reckless” without an official review. Nevertheless, White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly relayed the president’s view to Attorney General Jeff Sessions — although the decision to release the document ultimately lies with Congress. Continue reading “Trump sought release of classified Russia memo, putting him at odds with Justice Department”

Sessions’s statistics to back up the claim that Trump is ending ‘American carnage’

The following article by Glenn Kessler was posted on the Washington Post website January 25, 2018:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions falsely claimed crime was sweeping the nation and then took credit for fixing it. (Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

“In 2017, we brought cases against more violent criminals than in any year in decades. We charged the most federal firearm prosecutions in a decade. We convicted nearly 500 human traffickers and 1,200 gang members, and helped our international allies arrest about 4,000 MS-13 members. We also arrested and charged hundreds of people suspected with contributing to the ongoing opioid crisis.”
— Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in an opinion article in USA Today, Jan. 23, 2017

When a president is getting ready to deliver a State of the Union address, Cabinet officials often scurry to do a little apple-polishing before the main event. Attorney General Sessions did his part with an op-ed that was titled: “Trump promised to end ‘American carnage.’ Promise delivered.” Continue reading “Sessions’s statistics to back up the claim that Trump is ending ‘American carnage’”

Sessions interviewed by special counsel probing possible Trump campaign ties with Russia

The follow article by Ellen Nakashima, Devlin Barrett and Sari Horwitz was posted on the Washington Post website January 23, 2018:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed last week by investigators for special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe. (Reuters)

Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed last week by investigators for special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe into possible election campaign coordination between Russia and Trump associates, according to Justice Department officials.

Sessions was questioned for several hours, the officials said. In addition to the Russian coordination probe, Mueller is also investigating whether President Trump or any White House officials sought to obstruct justice in the probe. Continue reading “Sessions interviewed by special counsel probing possible Trump campaign ties with Russia”