Sen. Mike Rounds Thursday stood up for Attorney General Jeff Sessions after President Donald Trump's attacks on him in a Fox News interview, calling the former Alabama lawmaker a "man of principle" who will stand his ground and do the right thing, even if it's not what the president wants.
"We have a great deal of respect for Attorney General Sessions," the South Dakota Republican told CNN's "New Day." "We've known him personally. I've respected him, I served with him for two years, and I can tell you he is the right man for the job and we have confidence in him."
His comments came after Trump said he hired the senator only out of loyalty, and after he railed against him for not disclosing that he'd recuse himself from the investigation into Russian collusion. The president also accused Sessions of never taking control of the Justice Department.
"I can understand the president wanting to have an attorney general who would, in his opinion, be a strong advocate for his positions," said Rounds, adding, "but you have to understand that Jeff Sessions is also truly a man of principle."
However, Rounds argued against coming to the conclusion that Trump broke campaign finance law through payments made through his attorney, Michael Cohen, to two women before the 2016 election.
"I think what you're taking are statements in which Mr. Cohen has made suggestions that he had actions that the President Trump was aware of," said Rounds. "I probably wouldn't dispute the fact that Mr. Trump is aware of actions, but whether or not Mr. Trump felt that they were illegal or felt that they were illegal at the time is probably different than what your opinion is."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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