GOP Senator Lindsey Graham Working to Oust Sessions as US Attorney General

© AP Photo / Sean RayfordSen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. speaks to the crowd at the Kemp Forum, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, in Columbia, S.C.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. speaks to the crowd at the Kemp Forum, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016, in Columbia, S.C. - Sputnik International
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Though South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham appears to be cozying up to US President Donald Trump, only time will tell if the Republican official will ultimately replace US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Jamie Lovegrove, a reporter for the Post and Courier, told Sputnik.

After spending days mourning the death of Arizona Senator John McCain, Graham appeared on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday to say that the relationship between Trump and Sessions is "not working" and that a replacement was needed.

"This is a dysfunctional relationship. We need a better one," Graham said. "Is there somebody who is highly qualified that has the confidence of the president, [and] will also understand their job is to protect [special counsel Robert] Mueller? Yes, I think we can find that person after the election if that is what the president wants."

With Graham going on to stress that the US needs "an attorney general that can work with the president, that can work with the Department of Justice," critics have suggested that the 63-year-old politician was suggesting he was the one for the job.

Lovegrove told Radio Sputnik's Fault Lines on Wednesday that Graham, more than any other Republican senator, has been "laying the groundwork, effectively, for Trump to fire Sessions," stressing that he has done a complete 180 from his previous stance.

In July 2017, Graham was in favor of Sessions, going as far as saying that there would be "holy hell to pay" if Trump ever decided to give Sessions the boot. "I'm 100 percent behind Jeff Sessions," the official told CNN at the time.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks during the Iowa Republican Party's Lincoln Dinner - Sputnik International
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"It has been notable to see his change of tones, but I'll say in relation to his broader relationship with the president and the contrast to [Graham's longtime friend] McCain… Graham is a little bit more strategic," Lovegrove told hosts Garland Nixon and Lee Stranahan. "He's been golfing with the president since the middle of last year, he really decided he wanted to build a positive relationship there."

As for whether Graham will be the one to take the reins from Sessions, the political reporter said it was still uncertain. "Whether it will lead to an administration position, I don't know," he said.

Trump and Sessions have continuously butted heads recently, mostly over Sessions' decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation into allegations the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow to win the 2016 presidential election. Russia has repeatedly denied such accusations.

Most recently, POTUS told Fox News last week that he gave Sessions his job out of loyalty, adding that the attorney general failed to take control of the Justice Department. Sessions later fired back saying, that his department wasn't going to be influenced "by political considerations."

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