Booker Statement on Trump Firing Attorney General Jeff Sessions

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

“Jeff Sessions’ firing at the hands of the President is an alarming development that brings us one step closer to a constitutional crisis. I’m concerned that President Trump made this decision based on his fear of being implicated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and frustration with Sessions’ recusal from that investigation.”

“Congress must immediately pass our bipartisan bill to protect Mueller from political interference so he can do his job and follow the facts wherever they may lead. Additionally, Matt Whitaker should recuse himself from supervision of the special counsel given his past comments targeting the Mueller investigation and advocating for limits on its scope and cuts to its funding.”

Senator Booker is the coauthor of the Special Counsel Independence Protection Act, introduced in August 2017, a precursor to the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act (SCIAA). SCIAA would place a judicial check on the President’s power to fire a special counsel. Although SCIAA passed the Senate Judiciary Committee with bipartisan support in April, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to bring it to the Senate floor for a vote.