U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., on Friday weighed in on President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions' most recent public squabble.
While visiting Chattanooga Christian School, Corker said: "I think we're just really in a sad place right now for our country."
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker answers questions from media during a visit to Chattanooga Christian School on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Sen. Corker toured the school and answered questions from students."We've got this situation where Jeff Sessions, whether you agree with his positions or not ... is respected for his integrity and his character, and you've got a situation where the president would like to see him end some of the investigations that are underway and do some things in a different manner," Corker said.
The feud between Trump and Sessions intensified this week as the president took to Twitter to rebuke Sessions for what he says is a failure to take control of the Justice Department. It's the latest dispute that has simmered since Sessions recused himself from overseeing the Russia investigation.
Sessions punched back Thursday, saying he and his department "will not be improperly influenced by political considerations," according to The Associated Press.
Trump has spent more than a year publicly and privately venting over Sessions' decision to recuse himself from the federal Russia-collusion investigation because he'd worked on Trump's campaign, according to The Associated Press. Trump, who blames that decision for the eventual appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, told "Fox and Friends" host Ainsley Earhardt that Sessions "never took control of the Justice Department and it's a sort of an incredible thing."
"What kind of man is this?" Trump asked.
Corker on Friday said he is concerned about a "move afoot" in Washington, D.C., for Sessions to be gone after the midterm elections.
"I do fear for what comes after that," he said. "Especially when the reason is not because of the way he is conducting his activities, but because he is not doing ... what the president wishes for him to do as it relates to these investigations."
The former Chattanooga mayor also weighed in on the possibility of impeachment after the conclusion of Mueller's investigation.
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker answers questions from media during a visit to Chattanooga Christian School on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Sen. Corker toured the school and answered questions from students.Corker called for the issue to be a nonpartisan one, but also for lawmakers not to prejudge the situation before the investigation concludes.
"This shouldn't be a partisan issue," he said. "In the event there is some type of corruption, whether it's obstruction of justice or whether it's collusion or whether it's money laundering, I think that people of both sides of the aisle would say it's our job as senators to respond in an appropriate way."
He said the completion of the investigation and whether or not the president should be held accountable should be based on facts, and not on what side of the aisle lawmakers fall on.
Asked if he believed the president has obstructed judgment through his frequent comments on social media, especially Twitter, Corker did not give a conclusive answer but did say that was one of the major points of Mueller's investigation.
"What we need to do is let this investigation finish completely without being impeded," he said. "That concerns me a little bit about what I see happening in regards to Attorney Sessions, but we should let it play out unimpeded to the end."
Contact staff writer Meghan Mangrum at mmangrum@timesfreepress.com or 423-757- 6592. Follow her on Twitter @memangrum.