Over the summer Congressional recess . . .

[rubato]

" ...

In other news, strong tough privileged white male Rex Tillerson can't hack the SOS job and is taking some kind of leave of absence. A job that weak sickly 70-year-old female did masterfully for four solid years.

[Big RR]

To be fair, she didn't have Trump as the president. I honestly don't think anyone could be an effective secretary of anything under Trump. But I still hope it's the last of Tillerson.

[Guinevere]

He's changing his mind again. Such a silly. What a lightweight. Now he says "I'm around as long as the president wants me." Barf.

[Big RR]

Working for Trump makes about as much sense as hiring Leopold or Loeb as a babysitter--no good can possible come of it.

[Lord Jim]

Like everything else Trump has done to try to obstruct the Russiagate investigation, his efforts to force Sessions out have completely backfired and blown up in his face...

In the Senate, his attacks have not only brought a wave of criticism on him and strong expressions of support for Sessions from GOP Senators across the board, but also a number of Democrats who voted against Sessions confirmation, and disagree with him vehemently on numerous policy issues, have also rallied to support the "beleaguered" AG...

Trump's also managed to draw rebuke from prominent hard-right, religious-right, and alt-right allies that were critical to his victory, and endanger support from rank-and-file voters in those factions who are great admirers of Sessions...

Trump clearly wanted to bully Sessions into resigning, but the net result of all of his efforts to do this is that Jeff Sessions is today in a much stronger position than he was a week and a half ago before the public bullying began...

He ain't resigning...

All of this blow-back may have stayed Trump's hand from firing Sessions for now, but ultimately he may do it anyway, because clearly he sees the Russiagate investigation as an existential threat to his Presidency.

I wonder why that is...

[Lord Jim]

There isn't going to be a recess appointment:

Senate won't let Trump make recess appointments

Washington (CNN)Senators are planning to continue procedural moves to prevent the Senate from formally adjourning for recess next month in order to prevent President Donald Trump from making recess appointments, when the chamber eventually adjourns through the Labor Day weekend.

Using the threat of a filibuster, Democrats plan to force the Senate to hold pro forma sessions — a practice both parties have carried out to block recess appointments from presidents of opposite party, Democratic and Republican aides say.

Recess appointments let a president install nominees who normally must be confirmed by the Senate; their terms would run through the end of the "next session" of the Senate, but the "pro forma" sessions essentially means the Senate is never in recess.

While Republicans control the Senate now, the only way they can formally adjourn -- which would set up a period when recess appointments are allowable -- is to pass an adjournment resolution. The problem is that Democrats can filibuster that resolution, which they would do to prevent Trump from making recess appointments.

The maneuver started when George W. Bush was President and Democrat Harry Reid was the Senate majority leader,[Of course it was...] then continued under Barack Obama.

Obama tried to challenge the practice when he made a series of recess appointments despite the Senate meeting in pro forma sessions every three days. But the Supreme Court ruled against him saying the Senate was not technically on recess unless it was away for at least 10 days.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/25/politics/ ... index.html


And on top of the fact that the Democrats could prevent it from happening alone, the Senate GOP has apparently been preventing Trump from making recess appointments since the day he took Office:

Senate GOP blocking Trump from all recess appointments

by David M. Drucker | Jul 27, 2017, 11:05 AM

Senate Republicans are committed to blocking President Trump from bypassing the confirmation process and replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions with a recess appointment.

Indeed, as one Senate Republican explained to the Washington Examiner on Thursday, Senate Republicans made a collective decision in January to prevent Trump from making any recess appointment to his administration. That means the president is foreclosed from sidestepping Senate confirmation and replacing Sessions unilaterally during Congress' upcoming August recess.

"Recess appointments have never been an option for Trump," said the Republican senator.

Even if Republicans changed their mind, a near impossibility given their strong opposition to Trump's suggestion that he might fire Sessions, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., would demand pro-forma sessions as a part of any recess adjournment motion. Schumer's office confirmed this to the Washington Examiner Thursday morning.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., did the same thing when he was the minority leader under Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and President Barack Obama.

Senate Republicans since January have blocked Trump from making recess appointments by holding pro-forma sessions every few days whenever the Senate is otherwise in recess. In doing so, the Senate is never technically in a period of recess that would enable the president, under the Constitution, to make an appointment to his administration that would otherwise require Senate confirmation.

In a pro-forma session, a senator quickly gavels the chamber in and out of session. It requires a senator to be present in Washington during the recess period, but junior members of the Republican conference early in the year agreed to perform this function for their colleagues, committing to dates for the balance of the year.

"Junior senators long ago picked two dates when they're on the hook to be in D.C. to gavel in and out," the GOP senator said.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/senat ... le/2629853

Gee whiz, what does it say about the confidence and trust you enjoy when your own party puts a procedure in place from the first day of your Presidency preventing you from making recess appointments...

[Lord Jim]

Lindsey Graham to Introduce Bill Limiting Trump’s Ability to Fire the Special Counsel Investigating Him

Senator Lindsey Graham said Thursday that any attempt by President Trump to remove special counsel Robert Mueller “could be the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency,” and unveiled plans for legislation that would make it much harder for any special counsel to be fired.

“We need a check and balance here,” the South Carolina senator told reporters.

Graham said his bill, which he will introduce next week, will block a president from firing the special counsel without a federal judge’s approval if that counsel is investigating the president or his administration, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Trump currently has the power to get rid of Mueller, but it’s indirect. By statute, the ability to fire a special counsel sits with the attorney general. Since Jeff Sessions has recused himself from all matters Russia, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein would have to be the one to fire Mueller. If Rosenstein refused, Trump could just fire him and find someone who would do the deed.

If Graham’s bill makes it through both the House and Senate, it would mark the second high-profile instance of Congress showing at least some willingness to constrain Trump’s power. The first will arrive on Trump’s desk any day now in the form of a bill that slaps new sanctions on Russia and removes his power to remove those sanctions without congressional approval.

While speaking to reporters, Graham also weighed in on Trump’s ongoing “effort to marginalize and humiliate” Sessions.

“The president has a right to fire anybody in his cabinet. As a human being, I think he should show some respect for Jeff Sessions as a person,” he said. “If you believe Jeff Sessions should be fired, use the power you have and accept the consequences.”

“If Jeff Sessions is fired,” he added, “there will be holy hell to pay.”

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/20 ... eller.html

[Lord Jim]

Sessions won't be rescinding his recusal either:

Jeff Sessions has defended his decision to recuse himself from the investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, calling his choice “consistent for the rule of law”.

“An attorney general who doesn’t follow the law is not very effective in leading the department of justice,” Sessions told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson in a taped interview on Thursday.

Since last week, Trump has continually criticized Sessions, one of his earliest supporters, for deciding to recuse himself from overseeing the politically fraught investigation of whether Trump’s campaign had any connections to Russia’s attempt to meddle in America’s presidential election.

Sessions announced he would recuse himself in March, shortly after it became public that he had met twice with the Russian ambassador during the campaign, despite telling senators during his confirmation hearing that he had not.

He reiterated on Thursday that his recusal was consistent with expert advice within the justice department and “the integrity that’s required of the attorney general”.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... th-the-law

So for those keeping score at home:

No resignation, no recess appointment, and no recusal reversal...

[Guinevere]

That only leaves firing. I can still see the Trumpanzee doing that since he has no discipline or self- control.

[Sue U]

I think he may just be too much of a wuss to fire Sessions. Weak, sad.

[Lord Jim]

Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse gave Trump a much needed civics lesson on the Senate floor:

"I've come to the floor to keep my promise and to offer a word of humble advice to the president: If you're thinking about making a recess appointment to push out the attorney general, forget about it. The presidency isn't a bull and this country isn't a china shop. Mr. President, you're a public servant in a system of limited government, with a duty to uphold and to defend and to teach to our kids the constitution system of checks and balances,"[that will certainly come as news to Il Boobce] said Sasse.

http://nebraska.tv/news/local/sen-sasse ... ey-general


Oh, and here's some thing else that won't happen. Hearings for a new AG this year:

Senator Warns Trump: We Won’t Confirm A New AG

GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged President Donald Trump not to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a Wednesday tweet.

The senator warned the president that his committee would not take up a new nominee for attorney general, should he dismiss Sessions. Nominees for attorney general must first appear for hearings before the Senate Judiciary, prior to their confirmation is taken up by the full body.

In a Thursday interview with CNN’s Manu Raju, Grassley reiterated he would not hold hearings for any nominee to succeed Sessions, arguing the committee does not have the time or logistical capacity for such a time-consuming confirmation.

“My agenda is full,” he said. [I imagine so, with all the hearings investigating obstruction of Justice that the SJC is holding]

http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/27/senat ... -a-new-ag/

[BoSoxGal]

Do I sense a GOP spine coming into existence?

[rubato]

Do I sense a GOP spine coming into existence?

Only if they have tried everything else first. They are instinctive followers and habitual grovelers.


yrs,
rubato