Sessions hits back at Trump as Pecker raises new alarms

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Jeff Sessions, the US attorney general, declared he would not bow to political pressure on Thursday following another attack from President Donald Trump.

Donald Trump earlier lashed out at Sessions for his handling of the justice department in a Fox News interview, asking, "What kind of man is this?"

Courtroom dramas leave Trump sweating

The president was hit by a double blow earlier this week, when Justice Department prosecutors secured convictions against two of his former associates.

In further bad news for the president, it emerged that David Pecker, publisher of the National Enquirer, had been granted immunity by prosecutors – the AP reported that Pecker had a safe filled with information about Trump which has now been emptied.

Sessions strikes back

Sessions, a frequent target of Trump's ire since recusing himself from the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, released a statement saying that the Justice Department "will not be improperly influenced by political considerations."

"No nation has a more talented, more dedicated group of law enforcement investigators and prosecutors than the United States," Sessions added. "I am proud to serve with them and proud of the work we have done in successfully advancing the rule of law."

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House in Washington, DC, February 22, 2018.

Trump had earlier furiously lashed out at Sessions, the man he appointed, in the wake of Justice Department prosecutors winning convictions against former aides Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort.

"I put in an attorney general that never took control of the Justice Department. Jeff Sessions never took control of the Justice Department and it's a sort of an incredible thing," Trump told Fox News in an interview.

US President Donald Trump stands alongside US Attorney General Jeff Sessions after Sessions was sworn in, in the Oval Office of the White House, February 9, 2017. /VCG Photo

Trump has increasingly attacked Sessions as the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians, and alleged obstruction by the president, closes in on the White House.

He has pressed Sessions to find a way to shut down the probe, even though the former Alabama senator recused himself early on from any role in the investigation.

Immunity for Pecker

Further uncomfortable news came for Trump on Thursday with the Wall Street Journal reporting that American Media Inc's (AMI) Chief Executive Officer David Pecker met with prosecutors to describe Trump and Cohen's involvement in hush-money deals with two women ahead of the 2016 US presidential election – and has been granted immunity from prosecution.

Another AMI executive, Dylan Howard, also received immunity, Vanity Fair reported.

David Pecker, chairman and CEO of American Media Inc, speaks in New York City, US, January 31, 2014. /VCG Photo

AMI is the publisher of the National Enquirer, the magazine accused of employing a "catch and kill" strategy to protect the president. Pecker is also a longtime friend of Trump and Cohen.

Cooperation with authorities by Pecker and Howard could further implicate Trump in connection with the payments, which prosecutors have said violated campaign finance laws.

Cohen, who pleaded guilty on Tuesday to campaign finance violations and other charges, said in court that Trump directed him to arrange the payments to avoid damaging publicity shortly before the November 2016 election.

Pecker and Howard corroborated Cohen's account, according to Vanity Fair.

Michael Cohen, former lawyer to US President Donald Trump, exits the Federal Courthouse in New York City, August 21, 2018. /VCG Photo

On Thursday, the AP reported, citing people familiar with the arrangement, that the National Enquirer kept a safe containing documents on hush-money payments and stories it killed as part of its relationship with Trump in the run-up to the 2016 election.

AP added that the documents were removed from the safe prior to Trump's inauguration and that it was unclear if they were moved to another site or destroyed.

In the interview with Fox News aired on Thursday, Trump said he paid Cohen out of personal funds and the payments were intended to resolve a personal matter, not to benefit his campaign.

(With input from agencies)