President Donald Trump stirred up political intrigue with his criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions last week, and now a new report says he has floated replacing Sessions with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Trump has been unhappy with Sessions' recusal from the Russia investigation and has raised the possibility of bringing in Giuliani in internal conversations, Axios reports. A West Wing source told Axios that Trump is furious at Sessions, which could be seen in Trump's tweet calling Sessions a "beleaguered A.G." on Twitter Monday.
Giuliani was a strong supporter of Trump during the 2016 campaign, and he was considered a candidate for the job that Sessions landed. Giuliani did not end up getting a position within the administration, but he has continued to defend Trump in the media.
Axios' Mike Allen wrote that Trump "often muses about personnel moves he never makes," pointing out that his report does not prove Trump will do anything. To begin with, the president would have a difficult time getting Giuliani confirmed in the Senate.
"He was such an early and ardent Trump backer that he wouldn't be seen as an independent guardian of the department in these tumultuous times," Allen wrote.
Allen said that some might perceive the move as "throwing gasoline on a fire," and pointed out Giuliani's controversial policies, such as stop-and-frisk. Allen argued that this report likely shows that Trump is unsure about who to trust.
"Presidents like the personnel equivalent of comfort food — people with whom they have a long, happy history," he said. "Presidents often find they can only really trust people they knew before they took office, since it's hard to trust new people at the pinnacle of power."
Axios also reported that Trump is looking to give Newt Gingrich a more visible role. It is unclear if he is looking to bring in any other of his early supporters.