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U.S. NEWS Friday 22 March 2019

Former AG Sessions honored at Justice Dept. ceremony

By ERIC TUCKER “No attorney general’s emphasis against violent
Associated Press tenure goes exactly as crime, opioid addiction
WASHINGTON (AP) — As planned. Unexpected de- and illegal immigration
Washington awaits word velopments always arise,” — priorities in line with the
from special counsel Rob- said Rosenstein, likely an president’s agenda. But
ert Mueller, three Justice oblique reference to Ses- he endured scathing at-
Department officials inextri- sions’ unceremonious de- tacks from the president for
cably linked to his appoint- parture one day after the most of his tenure following
ment and tenure joined midterm elections. Rosen- his decision in March 2017
each other on stage Thurs- stein also read a letter from to recuse from the Justice
day for a ceremony honor- Sessions’ daughter in which Department’s investigation
ing one of them — former she said her father endured into possible ties between
Attorney General Jeff Ses- “relentless” attacks from Russia and the Trump cam-
sions. critics without returning fire. paign. He was asked to re-
Neither Mueller’s name nor The ceremony, during sign in November 2017 and
the Russia investigation he which Sessions was present- replaced first by his chief
leads was mentioned dur- ed with the chair he used of staff, Matthew Whitaker,
ing the ceremony for Ses- during Cabinet meetings, and then on a permanent
sions, who was forced out unfolded as Mueller pre- basis by Barr.
last November by President pares to deliver his final re- Rosenstein ticked off a
Donald Trump. But the tu- port on the investigation to number of attorneys gener-
mult of the last two years, new Attorney General Wil- al who served shorter ten-
which included Sessions’ liam Barr, who also spoke ures than Sessions. Those
recusal from an investiga- warmly of Sessions. The include Barr, who spent just
tion into the Trump cam- event brought together in over a year during his first
paign and the subsequent unusual fashion two Justice In this Oct. 16, 2018 file photo, then Attorney General Jeff stint as attorney general in
appointment of Mueller by Department officials who Sessions attends a news conference at the Justice Department the early 1990s.
Deputy Attorney General have been attacked by in Washington. “An attorney’s general’s
Rod Rosenstein, was evi- the president — Rosenstein Associated Press service is measured by
dent even as the ex-attor- is expected to leave his po- himself fending off attacks findings. accomplishments, not by
ney general was saluted for sition soon — and a third, on the Justice Department, Sessions was lauded dur- length of service,” Rosen-
his leadership. Barr, who may also find depending on Mueller’s ing the ceremony for his stein said.q