Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) castigated President Donald Trump on Tuesday for showing disloyalty to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, one of Trump's most loyal supporters and the first Republican senator to endorse his candidacy for president.
Trump tweeted Tuesday morning that Sessions has "taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!"
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2017
Schumer said that Trump has "gone out of his way" to undermine Sessions publicly over the last few days.
"He has tweeted scathing criticism of Attorney General Sessions, chastised him publicly for recusing himself from the Russia investigation and several other perceived failures in the eyes of the president," Schumer said. "We should all take a moment to think of how shocking these comments are on a human basis. This is the first person who stuck his neck out for Donald Trump, who was with him through thick and thin, and now even if the president has disagreements with him, which I think are real founding, self-centered, and wrong, you don't ridicule them in public."
Schumer went on to say it is obvious that Trump is trying to "bully" Sessions out of office and he should be talking to Sessions in person, instead of airing his grievances publicly. He then offered a theory about why Trump is trying to undermine Sessions before the August recess.
"Many Americans must be wondering if the president is trying to pry open the office of attorney general to appoint someone during the August recess who will fire Special Counsel [Robert] Mueller and shut down the Russia investigation,"Schumer said. "First, let me state for the record now, before this scheme gains wings, Democrats will never go along with the recess appointment if that situation arises."
Schumer said the Democratic Party has some tools in their toolbox to stymie any action that Trump tries to take during the August recess, saying that it is vital to the future of the Republic.
"I cannot imagine they would be complicit in creating a constitutional crisis. They must work with us and not open the door to a constitutional crisis during the August recess," Schumer said, singling out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.).