July 24, 2017

Trump Rips “Beleaguered” Sessions, Asks Why Justice Department Isn’t Probing Clinton

More open criticism for the attorney general.

Shawn Thew/ZUMA

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In a series of angry tweets Monday morning, President Donald Trump once again attacked Jeff Sessions, describing him as the “beleaguered” attorney general and asking why he and congressional investigators looking into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election have not been focusing on Hillary Clinton.

Trump has now publicly undermined Sessions on multiple occasions, after first telling the New York Times last week that he never would have appointed him as attorney general had he known that Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia probe. The attorney general was forced to recuse himself in March after it was revealed he had twice met with the Russian ambassador. He had previously failed to disclose the contact.

Over the weekend, the president took to Twitter with a similar post challenging the investigations’ direction:

Despite the public criticism, Sessions has said he intends to remain in the job.

The tweets on Monday came as Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, released his first public statement explaining his contacts with Russian officials during the presidential campaign. Kushner portrayed his activities as at worst careless and denied accusations of collusion. 

On Monday, Trump also lashed out at Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member of the House intelligence committee, for leading what he characterized as an unfair investigation into his campaign associates. The president also appeared to be trying to indirectly deflect ongoing reports that he watches too much cable news by accusing Schiff of doing just that.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

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