Report: Sessions might quit if Rosenstein is fired

Report: Sessions might quit if Rosenstein is fired

Attorney General Jeff Sessions reportedly said he'd consider resigning if President Donald Trump fired Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. (Source: CNN/Pool) Attorney General Jeff Sessions reportedly said he'd consider resigning if President Donald Trump fired Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. (Source: CNN/Pool)

(CNN/RNN) – There’s a circumstance that could make Attorney General Jeff Sessions reconsider his position in the Trump Administration.

The Washington Post reported Friday that Sessions told White House counsel Donald McGahn that he’ll consider leaving if President Donald Trump fires Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Rosenstein oversees the probe into possible connections between Russia and the Trump campaign.

The Post reported that Sessions called McGahn to ask about details of an April 12 meeting between Trump and Rosenstein.

Sessions was relieved to learn the meeting was largely cordial, according to the report.

It wasn’t the first time Sessions had asked White House officials about Rosenstein’s standing with the president.

A senior administration official told The Post that Sessions is concerned over the way Trump has recently treated Rosenstein, and that he’s repeatedly asked White House officials for the president’s assessment of the deputy attorney general.

Sessions himself has an uneasy relationship with Trump, who has often expressed frustration with the attorney general for recusing himself from the Russia probe.

Trump reportedly refers to Sessions as “Mr. Magoo,” after the bumbling cartoon character. He's also reportedly called Rosenstein “Mr. Peepers,” a 1950s sitcom character.

Another source told The Post that Sessions’ comment about possibly quitting was not a threat, but an attempt to convey the difficult position that the firing of Rosenstein would put him in.

A Justice Department spokeswoman declined The Post’s request for a comment.

Copyright 2018 CNN. Raycom News Network contributed to this report. All rights reserved.

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