Sessions: It’s time to accept the results of the Mueller report and move on

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday said it is “about time to accept the results” of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s election meddling and “get on with the business of America.”

Sessions did not discuss the details of Mueller’s 400-plus page report during a discussion with Amherst College’s Republican Club, MassLive reported, but called the probe “complete and through.”

“I have the greatest confidence in the integrity of the system. The process that was initiated was carried forth vigorously and with integrity,” Sessions said. “I think it deserves respect and I think it is about time to accept the results and let’s get on with the business of America.”

{mosads}Sessions and President Trump were known to have a tense relationship before the former Alabama senator was ultimately fired last November. The president later nominated William Barr to replace him.

Trump frequently lashed out at his then-attorney general on Twitter and in interviews, especially after Sessions recused himself from the Mueller investigation. 

Sessions told the group of college students on Wednesday that did not initially intend to recuse himself, but changed his mind after speaking with White House ethics officials, MassLive reported.

“It is not appropriate to investigate a campaign that you are part of,” he said.

Trump was fearful of Mueller’s appointment in 2017, according to the report released by the Justice Department last week.

“Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I’m f—ed,” Trump said when Sessions told him of the appointment.

“Everyone tells me if you get one of these independent counsels it ruins your presidency. It takes years and years and I won’t be able to do anything. This is the worst thing that ever happened to me,” he added, according to notes from Jody Hunt, Sessions’s chief of staff at the time.

Sessions later recalled that that Trump said to him, “you were supposed to protect me,” or “words to that effect,” according to the Mueller report.

Following Mueller’s appointment, Sessions reportedly carried a resignation letter with him every time he visited the White House for months. 

Mueller’s long-awaited report, which was released in a redacted form last week, detailed extensive Russian efforts to help Trump win the 2016 election but found that no one from the Trump campaign conspired with Moscow to interfere in the 2016 presidential race against Hillary Clinton.

The special counsel also outlined 10 instances of Trump potentially obstructing justice over the course of Mueller’s investigation, including the firing of James Comey as FBI director.