Sen. Ben Sasse (R., Neb.) on Thursday warned President Donald Trump to "forget about" considering a move to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions while the Senate is in recess.
Speculation has been swirling that Trump may fire Sessions after the president publicly criticized him for three straight days this week. Trump told the New York Times last week that he would have never appointed Sessions had he known the attorney general would recuse recuse himself from the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Sasse spoke on the Senate floor and gave Trump a "word of humble advice" not to think of a recess appointment for a replacement attorney general, which would not require an immediate Senate confirmation.
"If you're thinking of making a recess appointment to push out the attorney general, forget about it," Sasse said. "The presidency isn't a bull and this country isn't a china shop."
Sasse stressed the Constitution's separate powers for each branch of government throughout his speech.
"Our oath is not to popularity, it's not to polls, it's not to political parties," Sasse said. "Our oath is to the Constitution and to the rule of law."
A word of humble advice to our President: if you’re thinking of making a recess appointment to push out the Atty General, forget about it. pic.twitter.com/7P896qJJzX
— Senator Ben Sasse (@SenSasse) July 27, 2017