Attorney General Jeff Sessions is Coming ... or Going?

Ever since his confirmation as United States Attorney General, I have taunted wayward politicians and sanctuary cities in California: “Jeff Sessions is coming!” Some of my opponents have retorted that Sessions is about to be fired. I say “He’s on fire.”

But with the latest twitter and interview storm from President Trump, I am not sure what to think.

Is it time for Sessions to go?

My first criticism rested on AG Sessions’ threat to cut off federal funding to all sanctuary jurisdictions. I applauded his extended official letters to these outlaw cities—as well as the entire state of California—to comply with federal immigration laws or lose vital funding.

“Why hasn’t the funding been cut yet?” I complained to some of my activist colleagues. “The federal courts are holding up the order.” That’s right. The bad liberal lawyers in black dresses have been thwarting or delaying President Trump’s agenda. That’s not the Attorney General’s fault!

Impatience is a guiding mindset for many conservatives. After 8 years of Obama, we want our country back! We want Trump to Make America Great Again, and we want it done right away. Can you blame us?

In the furtherance of these goals, President Trump has every right to criticize his staff and his executive board. If he doesn’t like certain things that Attorney General Jeff Sessions is doing, he has a right to say so. Despite the growing fixation on the slowly boiling rift between the President and the Attorney General, Trump has also taunted US Senators for their hesitation to repeal Obamacare. Further reports indicate that Trump is actively searching for a primary challenger to Jeff Flake, the flimsy amnesty-pandering Never Trumper who still refuses to respect Trump.

I have no problem with these jabs. Let’s not forget that Trump has playfully threatened Health and Human Services Secretary about the imminent and necessary repeal of Obamacare. Again, I have no problem with these subtle jabs and threats.

However, I still think that the criticisms between the President and his Attorney General are somewhat disconcerting, and something to be taken seriously.

For me, though, I see no long-term reason to be upset with the Attorney General.

To be fair, I will outline my own frustrations with Sessions’ tenure as chief law enforcement officer:

1. He has committed to increasing civil asset forfeiture to counteract the violent yet pervasive drug trade. That is a big no-no for me. One of the landmark achievements of my state assemblyman last year, the first Republican elected to represent me in Sacramento, rested on his ability to shepherd through key legislation to reform and limit this legalized version of government theft.

Sorry, Jeff, but you are wrong on this one.

2. I also don’t believe that prosecuting marijuana use should be high on his list.

3. Nor do I agree that gay marriage is settled law, as he had stated during his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Of course, the future on this will not be resolved by one attorney general or even within President Trump’s first term.

4. Yes, I do believe his recusal on Russia was a bad move, caving to media-hyped political pressures. I am so tired of hearing about Russia. This nonsensical dystopian fantasy is the only thing that keeps the Democratic Party viable to solicit donations—and even now it’s not working.

5. He needs to go after Crooked Hillary and Creepy Comey. What’s the hold-up?

Now let’s consider Sessions’ accomplishments:

1. He has expedited necessary rulings on President Trump’s travel ban. He has never hesitated to push for clarity on these matters as quickly as possible.

2. Under the Trump Administration and through Sessions’ prosecution, child molestation and human trafficking has been exposed and prosecuted at an unprecedented level. That is excellent, and the media carries more shame for not reporting on these staggering moral and legal victories.

3. Sessions has targeted MS-13 and other criminal international (as well as illegal) gangs. From Upstate New York to Southern California, the heinous, vile street gangs are feeling the heat like never before.

4. Sessions has renewed and ensured protections for our First Amendment rights, specifically religious liberties. This is huge, considering the unprecedented and unjust assault from President Obama.

5. Let’s not forget what we can be sure will not happen under Sessions, like the unjustified attacks on the Second Amendment, including the diminished prosecution of violent gun crimes.

I can best frame my response to the Sessions controversies through Rush Limbaugh’s recent assessment: “[Trump] thought Sessions was a bull-in-the-china-shop fighter like Trump is. It’s also a little bit discomforting, unseemly, for Trump to go after such a loyal supporter this way.”

Sessions is not a bull, but a Southern Gentleman. As a long-standing jurist, both as lawyer and a judicial nominee, Sessions by training will not engage in outspoken media frenzies. The same holds true for Trump’s other appointees. As for judging Trump’s frustrations as “unseemly”, I disagree. There is nothing wrong with faulting our closest friends and colleagues when they do not compete and commit to actions in the best interests of the country. Just because he was the first US Senator to endorse Trump does not make him immune from criticism or dismissal. For Trump to overlook Sessions’ failings, wouldn’t that be considered a political conflict of interest?

I love Jeff Sessions. He has been the most vocal and consistent champion of working Americans, and the most vocal, unswerving critic of massive legal immigration as well as a hardliner on illegal immigration. Most pundits focused on Arizona’s immigration laws from 2013. They neglect to reflect on Alabama’s, which were harsher and even more effective.

President Trump should temper his overt criticism. Let Sessions restore the rule of law and order. Let’s hope Sessions fights more and takes on the crime and corruption within the Deep State. If Sessions’ recusal hinders his ability to prosecute government crime and corruption, then he should step down for the greater good of the country.