Jeff Sessions on Wednesday resigned as the United States' Attorney General, President Donald Trump announced.
In a letter to Trump, Sessions wrote, "At your request, I am submitting my resignation. Since the day I was honored to be sworn in as Attorney General of the United States, I came to work at the Department ofJustice every day determined to do my duty and serve my country. I have done so to the best of my ability, working to support the fundamental legal processes that are the foundation of justice."
"We took on transnational gangs that are bringing violence and death across our borders and protected national security. We did our part to restore immigration enforcement. We targeted the opioid epidemic by prosecuting doctors, pharmacists, and anyone else who contributes to this crisis with new law enforcement tools and determination. And we have seen results. After
two years of rising violent crime and homicides prior to this administration, those trends have reversed thanks to the hard work ofour prosecutors and law enforcement around the country," he elucidated.
"Most importantly. in my time as Attorney General we have restored and upheld the rule of law, a glorious tradition that each of us has a responsibility to safeguard. We have operated with integrity and have lawfully and aggressively advanced the policy agenda of this administration," Sessions added.
Taking to his Twitter handle, Trump wrote, "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."
He thanked Sessions "for his service", adding that a permanent attorney general "will be nominated at a later date."
"We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date," Trump wrote on the micro-blogging site.
Sessions, who was once one of the most vocal supporters of Trump, had been at loggerheads with the US President in a number of issues, particularly during the investigation of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, when he recused himself from the probe.
Whitaker, a former Chief of Staff to Sessions, is expected to take charge of the Russian investigation, which is overseen by special counsel Robert Mueller.
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