Feb 28, 2018

Sessions pushes back: DOJ will "do its work in a fair and impartial manner"

Photo: Toya Sarno Jordan / Getty Images

Attorney General Jeff Sessions responded to President Trump's public criticism on Wednesday, saying he will continue his "duties with integrity and honor."

Why it matters: Trump's tweet was a "tipping point" for Sessions as he went after Inspector General Michael Horowitz, a career lawyer who was appointed by the Obama administration, and worked in top DOJ positions under Presidents George W. Bush. and Bill Clinton. Sessions broke his silence to defend his department after taking months of criticism from the president.

"We have initiated the appropriate process that will ensure complaints against this Department will be fully and fairly acted upon if necessary. As long as I am the Attorney General, I will continue to discharge my duties with integrity and honor, and this Department will continue to do its work in a fair and impartial manner according to the law and Constitution."

— Statement from Sessions obtained by CNN

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Rebecca Falconer, Orion Rummler

Updated 52 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Protests for George Floyd continue for 10th day

Thousands of protesters march over the Brooklyn Bridge on June 4 in New York City. Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

All four former Minneapolis police officers have been charged for George Floyd’s death and are in custody, including Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, who were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

The latest: A man in Buffalo, New York bled out of one ear and lay motionless on the ground after police pushed him backward at a protest. He was later taken to the hospital and appeared to be alert, per a local reporter on the scene. Officers arrested five people during the protests in Niagara Square, a Buffalo Police Department statement noted.

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Orion Rummler

3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Trump says he will campaign against Lisa Murkowski after her support for Mattis

Trump with Barr and Meadows outside St. John's Episcopal church in Washington, D.C. on June 1. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump tweeted on Thursday that he would endorse "any candidate" with a pulse who runs against Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

Driving the news: Murkowski said on Thursday that she supported former defense secretary James Mattis' condemnation of Trump over his response to protests in the wake of George Floyd's killing. She described Mattis' statement as "true, honest, necessary and overdue," Politico's Andrew Desiderio reports.

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Dave Lawler

4 hours ago - World

The president vs. the Pentagon

Trump visits Mattis and the Pentagon in 2018. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty

Over the course of just a few hours, President Trump was rebuffed by the Secretary of Defense over his call for troops in the streets and accused by James Mattis, his former Pentagon chief, of trampling the Constitution for political gain.

Why it matters: Current and former leaders of the U.S. military are drawing a line over Trump's demand for a militarized response to the protests and unrest that have swept the country over the killing of George Floyd by police.

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