Media Initial media reports described Sessions' move as abrupt and unexpected, but not unprecedented.
Slate Leon Neyfakh accused media outlets of sensationalizing Sessions' actions, which he said were "nothing particularly unusual or surprising," and noted the mass firings of U.S. attorneys accompanying each presidential transition.
The Washington Post contrasted the Trump administration's decision with those of
George W. Bush and
Barack Obama, who replaced U.S. attorneys gradually. Sessions' move came less than 24 hours after
Sean Hannity, the
Fox News commentator and host of
The Sean Hannity Show, called for the "immediate expulsion," or a "purge," of Obama appointees at the
United States Justice Department in his show's opening monologue.
Politicians Senator
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, criticized the "abrupt firing. " She said, "Under previous administrations, orderly transitions allowed U.S. attorneys to leave gradually as their replacements were chosen. This was done to protect the independence of our prosecutors and avoid disrupting ongoing federal cases. At a time when attorney General Sessions has recused himself from major investigations into the Trump campaign, the independence of federal prosecutors could not be more important."
Tim Purdon, who served as U.S. attorney for the
District of North Dakota from 2010 to 2015, said: "The way the Obama administration handled it was appropriate and respectful and classy. This saddens me because many of these people are great public servants and now they are being asked to leave." Other politicians expressed dismay, such as former Vermont Governor
Howard Dean, Massachusetts U.S. Senator
Elizabeth Warren, New York State Republican Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin, and Brian Kolb, the Assembly Leader, over Bharara's firing.
Resignees said he was fired after refusing to submit his resignation. Bharara said he was fired and did not resign. He had been asked to maintain his position in November 2016 by then President-elect Trump. Trump's Secretary of the
Department of Health and Human Services,
Tom Price, traded stocks of health-related corporations during the time period when Price was working on crafting the legislation that would affect those firms. Bharara was said to have been supervising an investigation about the propriety of those trades. The administration did not respond to questions regarding the relationship. Bharara was also reported to have been investigating the reports via
CNN,
The New York Times,
The Washington Times,
New York magazine, among other sources, that
Fox News had covered up dozens of reports of sexual assault and harassment by its dismissed former chairman and CEO
Roger Ailes, generating potential tort liabilities that should have been disclosed to its shareholders. Fox attorney and potential Bharara replacement Marc Mukasey declined to comment on these reports as well. In his resignation statement, Capers wrote, "This afternoon, I was instructed to resign my position as United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, effective March 10, 2017. It has been my greatest honor to serve my country, New York City and the people of this district for almost 14 years, with the last 17 months serving as United States attorney." Capp said in a written statement, "After 31 years at the United States Attorney’s Office I have submitted my resignation as United States attorney. I had advised my office last summer that it was my plan to retire in 2017. I had been looking toward a June retirement, so this is just a few months earlier. It has been my greatest honor and privilege to serve all these years. The work we do in the United States Attorney’s Office has such an important positive impact on the citizens of northern Indiana. I want to thank the men and women of the USAO for their dedication and professionalism, day-in and day-out." Fishman said in his statement, "It has been the greatest professional experience that I can possibly imagine to have served in this office for the past seven-and-a-half years. Having spent so much of my career working to protect the interests of the people of New Jersey, I can think of no greater form of public service. I am enormously grateful for the opportunity I was given to lead the men and women who work in this office. They are the most extraordinary group of public servants I have ever known, and I am more than honored to have been their colleague." Magidson's release said, "It has been privilege and an honor to serve as the United States attorney for the Southern District of Texas. It has been a hallmark of my administration to ensure that our office lived up to the ideals of justice. The ability to everyday protect the interests of the United States has truly been a great blessing and a hallmark of my career. I am confident that our office will continue to live up to these ideals." McQuade said, "I have loved serving in this job as much as anyone has ever loved any job. It has been an incredible privilege to work alongside public servants who devote their tremendous talents to improving the quality of life in our community. I am proud to have served as U.S. attorney in the Obama Administration." ==See also==