President Donald Trump on Wednesday asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign, effectively firing him.
Read Sessions’ resignation letter, delivered to White House chief of staff John Kelly, below.
President Donald J. Trump
The White House
Washington, DC. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
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 of Justice 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.
The team we assembled embraced your directive to be a law and order Department of
Justice. We prosecuted the largest number of violent offenders and ?rearm defendants in our
country?s history. 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 of our prosecutors and law enforcement around the country.
I am particularly grateful to the fabulous men and women in law enforcement all over this
country with whom I have served. I have had no greater honor than to serve alongside them. As I
have said many times, they have my thanks and I will always have their backs.
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.
I have been honored to serve as Attorney General and have worked to implement the law
enforcement agenda based on the rule of law that formed a central part of your campaign for the
Presidency.
Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. President.
Jeff Sessions
Attorney General