Attorney General Jeff Sessions has resigned as the country’s chief law enforcement officer at President Donald Trump’s request.
Sessions announced his plan to resign in a letter to the White House on Wednesday. Politically, it is fairly common for an Attorney General to resign after a midterm election.
Trump announced in a tweet that Sessions’ chief of staff Matt Whitaker would become the new acting attorney general.
He said, “We are pleased to announce that Matthew G. Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, will become our new Acting Attorney General of the United States. He will serve our Country well. We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date.”
We are pleased to announce that Matthew G. Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, will become our new Acting Attorney General of the United States. He will serve our Country well….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018
….We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018
In his letter of resignation, Sessions wrote, “Most importantly as my time as attorney general, we have restored and upheld the rule of law,”
In his closing, Sessions added, “Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. President.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.