On Wednesday, just one day after the midterm election that saw control of the United States House of Representatives returned to Democrats, President Trump, through his chief of staff, forced out Attorney General Jeff Sessions [1]. Sessions’ ouster comes after the president has repeatedly rebuked, humiliated, and attacked the Attorney General publicly. President Trump has long fumed about Sessions’ recusal from the Russia investigation.
On Wednesday, Trump’s chief of staff General John Kelly forced Sessions’ resignation. The president who is famous for the phrase “you’re fired” notoriously hates conflict and avoids firing people himself. Kelly was tasked with doing the president’s dirty work, demanding Sessions’ resignation.
According to CNN, Sessions asked to finish out the week and leave the Department of Justice after work on Friday. That minor request was dismissed by the White House. Kelly insisted Sessions leave on Wednesday, the day after the midterms. President Trump himself did not even give Sessions the courtesy of a telephone call. Instead, Sessions spoke only to Kelly. Sessions was one of the president’s earliest supporters and served to enforce the president’s campaign promises and agenda through his role at the Department of Justice.
Sessions is far from the first Trump cabinet firing that has been handled in humiliating fashion. Former Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin was shocked when he saw he was fired by tweet, saying he and the president had spoken “just a few hours before” to schedule a meeting for the next day.
Similarly, when the president fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, there was reporting that he was not informed of his own firing before the president tweeted the announcement.
On Wednesday, the president signaled that he may make more changes in the administration now that the midterm elections have passed. He said he is “looking at different people for different positions.” He also claimed that the practice was “very common after the midterms.”