It seems that some Republicans in the Senate are beginning to lose patience with Trump.
In a slap at Trump, Congress passed a bill by veto-proof majorities increasing sanctions against Russia and limiting Trump’s ability to ease them. Trump unhappily signed the bill, complaining that it infringed on his executive authority. He had little choice. The optics of vetoing sanctions against Russia – given its invasion of Crimea and its military incursion in Eastern Ukraine -- were terrible and Congress would have overridden his veto in any event.
The dramatic news this week was that Special Counsel Robert Mueller impaneled a grand jury in the federal Russia investigation. Unfortunately, it did not mean that Mueller is bringing charges any time soon. Instead, Mueller needs to subpoena witnesses and documents. That’s a power he does not have without a grand jury being convened. Still, it shows that his investigation continues to grow more serious. Again, the Russia investigation is a lava flow that moves slowly but consumes everything in its path.
And although Trump launched a Twitter attack on Senate Republicans for failing to repeal Obamacare, the Republicans ignored him. In fact, some Senate Republicans began openly working with Democrats to allow the payments to the insurance companies to continue that are used to subsidize health-care premiums for the poor.
Again there were indications that Trump might fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had to recuse himself from any involvement with Special Counsel Mueller because of Sessions’ involvement in the Trump campaign. The Senate is on break the month of August. The fear was that Trump would fire Sessions and make a recess appointment of a new Attorney General, as that would not require Senate confirmation. Presumably that new Attorney General would effect the termination of Special Counsel Mueller one way or another.
The Senate was not having it. Before departing, the Senate took action that conducts one minute of business every three days over the August break so there is no official recess. In other words, the Senate deliberately blocked Trump’s ability to make a recess appointment.
Two members of the Senate, one a Republican and one a Democrat, also introduced legislation that would allow the Special Counsel to challenge any removal of him in court. While it’s not clear this bill would ever become law, it was another warning that even some Republicans in the Senate would not be happy if Mueller were fired.
Meanwhile, Trump remained unhappy that Sessions did not resign. To shore up his standing with Trump, Sessions declared that information leakers would be criminally prosecuted and that the DOJ might try to force reporters to reveal their sources. There have been far more leaks coming out of the Trump administration than in any prior administration, many due to the intense political rivalries in the White House. Most of the leaks, though, do not involve classified information, and therefore could not be prosecuted, a fact that Sessions did not mention.
The reference to possibly pursuing reporters was alarming, as traditionally only leakers and not reporters have been prosecuted. Because of Constitutional protections of freedom of the press, it’s difficult to successfully prosecute reporters. More likely Sessions intended to have a chilling effect on reporting. We trust that mission was not accomplished.
And, finally, Newsweek festooned its cover with Trump in an easy chair, tv remote and snacks in hand, noting he has been in office six months, spent 40 days at golf clubs and passed zero pieces of major legislation (unlike all other modern presidents).