This week, Donald Trump bizarrely went after his own attorney general again, publicly humiliating him on Twitter.
Is Donald Trump trying to use public humiliation as a tool to force Jeff Sessions to quit? That would open the door to replacing Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general who took over the Mueller investigation when Jeff Sessions recused himself.
So, how did Jeff Sessions respond to Trump’s public humiliation? He joined his top Dept. of Justice officials, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Solicitor General Noel Francisco, for a very, very public dinner and show of force and unity. From Axios:
The symbolism was unmistakable: the three top ranking officials in the Justice Department appearing together in a show of solidarity on the same day Trump is publicly and privately raging about Sessions.
When Trump sees this photo he'll have to absorb a concept that some of his aides have been trying to impress upon him for nearly a year, since he first began telling them he wanted to get rid of Sessions.
The concept: Fire Sessions, then what next? Are you going to fire Rosenstein too? And then what after that?
As CNN noted, the trio chose a restaurant close to the White House, across the street from Trump’s own hotel and restaurant.
The source said Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Solicitor General Noel Francisco ate at Central Michel Richard, which is almost across the street from the Trump International Hotel and several blocks down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House.
They also made a public display of walking to the restaurant together, capturing attention from cameras an onlookers along the way:
Earlier Wednesday evening, CNN shot exclusive video of Sessions, Rosenstein, Francisco and Justice Department spokesperson Sarah Isgur Flores walking down the street from the Justice Department.
At one point, Sessions pumped his fist in the air as he walked past several people.
In short, that is the political equivalent of “come at me, bro.”
via GIPHY