Sessions' path to remake Justice Department may be clearer

WASHINGTON (AP) — There may be a silver lining to the political cloud over Attorney General Jeff Sessions after his decision to withdraw from any investigation touching the Trump campaign.

Now, his path to continue refashioning the Justice Department may be even clear. So far, Sessions appears focused on tackling violent crime, drugs and immigration.

Those efforts began almost immediately after he was sworn in last month.

His announcement on Thursday may have taken attention from trying to chip away at Obama administration priorities. But Sessions now seems poised to resume the mission he carried into the job.

Sessions' early words and actions are consistent with the tough-on-crime reputation the former federal prosecutor cultivated as a senator.

And they foreshadow an unmistakable pivot in areas of civil rights, criminal justice and drug policy.