Thousands march in Seattle in wake of Sessions firing

SEATTLE — In the wake of Jeff Sessions resigning from his post as Attorney General, crowds gathered in Seattle and across the nation in protest of acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker who is stepping into the role.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned Wednesday at the request of President Trump. Sessions’ chief of staff Matthew Whitaker was then elevated to the position of acting Attorney General. The move sparked outrage from those who are concerned about Whitaker impeding the progress of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

With Whitaker now in charge of the Mueller investigation, MoveOn.org called for protests nationwide, including in Seattle.

“This unjustified firing undermines the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion by the Trump campaign,” the organization said in a news release. “‘Organizing groups would like to send the message that ‘no one is above the law.'”

Seattle’s protest will start at Cal Anderson Park in Capitol Hill Thursday, Nov. 8 at 5 p.m., and finish at the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building downtown. The route spans approximately a mile and a half, so keep an eye out for traffic if you’re traveling anywhere in that neighborhood Thursday evening.

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AG controversy

When Sessions recused himself early on, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein took over as the head of the Mueller investigation. Whitaker’s new role, though, now ousts Rosenstein, and puts the new acting AG in charge.

The main concerns now stem from assumptions that Whitaker will either actively impede, or entirely end Mueller’s investigation into links between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian influence.

In a 2017 interview with CNN's Don Lemon, Whitaker said that he "can see a scenario where Jeff Sessions is replaced with a recess appointment, and that [the] Attorney General doesn't fire Bob Mueller, but he just reduces his budget so low that his investigation grinds almost to a halt."

More recently, Whitaker published an editorial on CNN less than 24 hours before Sessions' resignation, titled "Mueller's investigation of Trump is going too far."

mynorthwest.com