美国国家公共电台 NPR In His First Year As Attorney General, Sessions Transforms Justice In Key Ways

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

One year ago today, President Trump¹ promised that a new era was beginning at the Justice Department.

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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It is with great pride - very great pride - that I say these words to you right now, Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

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INSKEEP: In a year, Sessions has transformed the institution's approach to civil rights and immigration, all while an investigation² continues into Russia's role in the 2016 election. NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson has covered the whole year. She's on the line.

Good morning, Carrie.

CARRIE JOHNSON, BYLINE³: Hi, Steve.

INSKEEP: How different does the department feel to you when you walk through the halls or get people on the phone?

JOHNSON: It does feel different. Of course, the department has had some morale⁴ problems, in part because President Trump has been attacking both the Justice Department and the FBI for many, many months as a laughingstock and possibly politically biased⁵. Also, Steve, there are at least six major jobs requiring Senate confirmation⁶ still open at the Justice Department one year in - more than one year in. And there's not a quick sense that those jobs are going to be filled.

INSKEEP: Well, you mentioned the president's attacks on his own Justice Department. Let's focus on Jeff Sessions here. At his confirmation hearing, he assured senators he would be independent - he would make independent judgments⁷. He later then did, over the president's objections, recuse himself from the Russia investigation - said he shouldn't be making decisions about it. But what about more recently?

JOHNSON: You know, the first words out of his mouth at his confirmation hearing - Jeff Sessions - were that he would be independent of the president. He's actually tried to have it a bit both ways, especially when it comes to criticism of the people inside his department. Sessions has offered some words of praise for his deputies, including Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. But he also throws critics like the president a bone, saying that he's aware there are sharp criticisms of the department; sunlight is the best disinfectant; and he's not going to ignore problems or bury his hand in the sand when he encounters them.

INSKEEP: Just to understand this - I mean, the president appoints the attorney general. The president is the boss. But is the job such that the attorney general should always be taking the president's orders?

JOHNSON: Well, in matters of policy, the president has a big say. In matters of law enforcement, the practice since Watergate is that the president should have no say. And that's the bright line.

INSKEEP: OK. Well, let's talk about policy as well - policy in law enforcement here. Jeff Sessions has made a number of announcements. He's got clear priorities. And I'm thinking of one in particular - the federal approach to marijuana, which has been legalized in many states but is, of course, illegal at the federal level. Sessions changed the guidance for federal prosecutors⁸ and law enforcement officials. But we were told at the time it was not clear how much would actually change in terms of prosecutions⁹ on the ground. Can you think of an issue, Carrie Johnson, in which Jeff Sessions' different approach has actually resulted in something different on the ground?

JOHNSON: Very much so. Attorney General Sessions, in the Senate, had very strong feelings about immigration. And he's already had a major impact on immigration policy. He set benchmarks for immigration judges, trying to get them to move cases along faster. He's moving to strip people of citizenship¹⁰ if they lied during the vetting¹¹ process. And of course his Justice Department determined¹² that Deferred¹³ Action for Childhood Arrivals program was unconstitutional and could not be defended in court, which is part of the reason we're in the situation we're in now with respect...

INSKEEP: Oh. That was the justification¹⁴ for President Trump saying he would end it in March...

JOHNSON: Exactly.

INSKEEP: ...Unless Congress were to intervene in some way. And that's the thing that's still being debated.

JOHNSON: That's right.

INSKEEP: And he has, you're saying, caused stricter enforcement or stricter punishments, if that's precisely¹⁵ the word - stricter outcomes for people who are found to be in the country illegally.

JOHNSON: Yeah. And there's another big area where he's done a lot, which is with respect to civil rights, particularly police investigations¹⁶ - only charging individual officers, not investigating entire police departments anymore.

INSKEEP: NPR's Carrie Johnson - always a pleasure. Thank you.

JOHNSON: My pleasure.