Asked About Trump Potentially Firing Sessions, Paul Ryan Shows His Usual Backbone

Attorney General Jeff Sessions either has his head on the chopping block, or he’s being led down the long corridor by the executioner. It’s well-documented that Trump is furious at him for abdicating his responsibilities and recusing himself from the Russia investigation—it seems he would have preferred Sessions to act as a human shield, ethics be damned—and that publicly trashing him in the press was a move to force his resignation. Sessions hasn’t resigned, so Trump ramped up the attacks this morning:

Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump campaign – “quietly working to boost Clinton.” So where is the investigation A.G. @seanhannity

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017

And when deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about this morning Fox & Friends, she took a harder line than is normal, even giving a subtle nod to the idea of Rudy Giuliani as a replacement:

“Look, I know that he is frustrated and certainly disappointed in the attorney general for recusing himself but, as we’ve said, I think that’s a decision that if the president wants to make, he certainly will. … That frustration certainly hasn’t gone away, and I don’t think it will.”

“What about Rudy Giuliani?” as a replacement for Sessions, Ainsley Earhardt followed up. “Would he be someone that the president would consider?”

“You know, I know he’s somebody that he respects,” Sanders replied, though she quickly added that she has not been involved in any conversations about replacement candidates.

Basically, our transition into an outright banana republic has quickened, and, predictably, people are turning to Congress to gauge if there’s any opposition. The first stop is House majority leader Paul Ryan—would he show any dismay at the piecemeal destruction of our democracy, or would he toe the party line as always?

You probably already know the answer:

Reporter: Are you concerned Trump may fire Sessions?

Ryan: It’s the president’s prerogative to hire and fire whoever he wants. pic.twitter.com/7Dp9okoTpJ

— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) July 25, 2017

Once again, we congratulate Ryan on his backbone.