The Biggest Disappointment in Trump’s Presidency
In this first 300 days, President Trump has faced intense opposition from a variety of enemies. Of course, Democrats and the media have been opposed to everything he has proposed. The “deep state” bureaucrats have proven to be a formidable adversary as well. Unfortunately, “Never Trump” conservatives and establishment Republicans have also been very uncooperative. His legislative agenda has been stalled as Obamacare has not been repealed, despite eight years of GOP promises, and the prospect of the tax reform package passing the U.S. Senate looks very questionable.
Acting on his own, President Trump has been successful in issuing executive orders and slashing regulations. He has brought a new attitude to foreign relations, trade deals and has shown his unflinching support for our military, both active service members and veterans.
Despite an impressive track record of presidential actions, Trump has been needlessly hampered by the ongoing Russian collusion investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. It has been like an ominous cloud hovering over his administration.
This would have never happened had Attorney General Jeff Sessions not removed himself from all investigations into potential Russian interference in the 2016 election. His action led the Assistant Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint Mueller, who has spent months recruiting a partisan team of Democratic attorneys to join this investigation.
The first set of Mueller indictments targeted former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, his aide and a low level national security volunteer. The illegal behavior alleged by the Special Counsel did not involve the President or “Russian collusion.”
Mueller will not be deterred from issuing more indictments in the days ahead. While these proceedings are supposedly secret, the media was given advance notice of the decision to issue criminal charges. A member of the Special Counsel’s office may very well have committed a crime.
It is not a surprise that more leaks are coming out that former Trump National Security Advisor Lt. General Michael Flynn may be the next target for the Special Counsel. At this point, no one knows how long this investigation will last or how much it will cost the American people. In essence, Mueller is operating a shadow Justice Department with Donald Trump in his legal cross-hairs.
It is little wonder why the President was furious with Sessions who created this Mueller monster. In addition, Sessions, in congressional testimony, vowed to remove himself from investigations involving Hillary Clinton, her foundation and the 2016 election. Thus, despite compelling evidence of potential criminal behavior by Hillary Clinton involving the Uranium One deal, the Clinton Foundation fundraising activities, her campaign’s suspicious funding of the Trump dossier and her scandalous treatment of top secret emails, no formal investigation of Clinton has been announced by the Justice Department.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is handicapped by his vows to remove himself from the serious issues that need his attention. While he has been vocal on the issue of combating illegal immigration, he has been unwilling to act on critical matters that impact the survival of the Trump administration.
Due to these significant failings, the President needs to fire Sessions, along with Rosenstein and Andrew McCabe, two Obama administration holdovers in senior positions in the Justice Department. A new Attorney General should fire Special Counsel Mueller, who is hopelessly comprised in his investigation by his close friendship with former FBI Director James Comey. The next move should be the appointment of an independent and reputable Special Counsel to investigate the numerous Hillary Clinton scandals.
This week, Sessions testified before the House Judiciary Committee and had to admit his recall was faulty on a number of issues. Furthermore, he did not project any confidence that he is up to the challenge of reforming the Justice Department and pursuing the real investigations that are desperately needed in our country.
Undoubtedly, Jeff Sessions is a man of character and integrity; however, he lacks the determination, aggressiveness and tenacious attitude that are essential to fight the many forces arrayed against change in the Justice Department.
The sooner the President gives Sessions The Apprentice treatment and says, “You’re Fired,” the better. He has been given 10 months to lead the Justice Department and he has failed miserably. In fact, the lackluster performance of the Attorney General has been the biggest disappointment in the Trump administration. If the President does not act soon, the consequences for his administration could be devastating.
