text: President Trump responds to questions regarding the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections, saying "I could have ended it anytime I wanted." Photo: AP 
   
   Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned at the request of President Trump on Wednesday, immediately placing oversight of the special counsel’s Russia probe in the hands of an official who has been critical of the inquiry and suggested limiting it. 
   
   The move—one day after elections in which Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives but made gains in the Senate—follows months in which Mr. Trump regularly expressed displeasure with Mr. Sessions for recusing himself from the inquiry into alleged Russian interference... ||||| President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (Associated Press) 
   
   WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and the midterm elections (all times local): 
   
   2:45 p.m. 
   
   Attorney General Jeff Sessions has resigned as the country's chief law enforcement officer. 
   
   Sessions announced his plan to resign in a letter to the White House on Wednesday. 
   
   President Donald Trump announced in a tweet that Sessions' chief of staff Matt Whitaker would become the new acting attorney general. 
   
   The attorney general had endured more than a year of stinging and personal criticism from Trump over his recusal from the investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. 
   
   Trump blamed the decision for opening the door to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, who took over the Russia investigation and began examining whether Trump's hectoring of Sessions was part of a broader effort to obstruct justice. 
   
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   1:20 p.m. 
   
   President Donald Trump says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's (pahm-PAY'-ohz) meeting with his North Korean counterpart was postponed but is being rescheduled. 
   
   Pompeo had been scheduled to meet with Kim Yong Chol in New York on Thursday. 
   
   Trump says he's likely to meet with the North Korea leader early next year and there's "no rush" to engaging in denuclearization talks with Pyongyang. 
   
   Trump met Kim Jong Un in June for a landmark meeting in Singapore, where the two leaders agreed on vague goals of denuclearization. There's been little progress since then. 
   
   North Korea has continued a yearlong halt in weapon tests but wants U.S. sanctions eased. In recent days, North Korea criticized the U.S. for its continued support of sanctions and hinted it may resume nuclear development. 
   
   Trump says he'd "love to take the sanctions off" but North Korea has to make concessions, too. 
   
   ___ 
   
   1:10 p.m. 
   
   President Donald Trump says he would consider raising other tax rates to pay for a middle-class tax cut. 
   
   Trump said at a Wednesday press conference that if Democrats offer an idea for tax cuts he would work with them, even if it would require "some adjustment" to other rates. 
   
   The president did not say what any changes to rates could look like but said, "I would certainly be willing to do a little bit." He says Democrats would need to propose a plan, given that he would need bipartisan support in the Senate. 
   
   Trump said during the midterm campaign that he would offer a plan for a 10 percent middle income tax cut. But he has not provided any details. Republicans passed a massive tax cut package last year. 
   
   ____ 
   
   12:50 p.m. 
   
   President Donald Trump says Vice President Mike Pence will be his running mate in 2020, impromptu confirmation that could give sign makers a head start on printing political signs for the next presidential election. 
   
   In the middle of a news conference at the White House on Wednesday, the Republican president was unexpectedly asked if Pence would be on the ticket. 
   
   Trump said he hadn't asked Pence yet but then turned to the vice president and said: "Mike, will you be my running mate? Will you?" 
   
   Pence acknowledged that he would. 
   
   ___ 
   
   12:45 p.m. 
   
   President Donald Trump has sparred with reporters at his post-election news conference, ordering several to sit down and telling another he's a "rude, terrible" person. 
   
   He told yet another reporter he's "not a fan of yours, either." 
   
   The president's mood turned sour Wednesday after reporters pressed him on why he referred to a migrant caravan making its way to the U.S. on foot through Mexico as an "invasion." Trump ramped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric against the caravan in the final days of the midterm elections. 
   
   Trump was also pressed on why his campaign aired an ad featuring a Mexican immigrant convicted of killing American police officers and linking the man's actions to the caravan. 
   
   Several television networks pulled the ad after airing it or declined to air it at all. 
   
   ___ 
   
   12:35 p.m. 
   
   President Donald Trump says he's happy with "most" of his Cabinet as he suggests changes may be coming. 
   
   Trump said at a Wednesday press conference that he is "looking at different people for different positions," adding that "it is very common after the midterms." 
   
   Asked specifically about the future of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Trump says, "I'd rather answer that at a little bit different time." 
   
   Trump has long been frustrated with Sessions over his recusal from the Russia investigation. Rosenstein's future appeared uncertain after reports that he discussed secretly recording Trump. 
   
   On Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke (ZIN'-kee), Trump says he wants to "study whatever is being said." Trump adds that he's doing an "excellent job." Zinke faces a series of inquiries into his conduct. 
   
   ___ 
   
   12:30 p.m. 
   
   President Donald Trump is warning House Democrats about spending the remaining years of his presidency investigating him and the administration. 
   
   Trump said at a post-election news conference Wednesday that Democrats and Republicans should set aside partisanship to work together for the American people. 
   
   Democrats won back control of the House. Many have threatened to use the subpoena power they will gain in January to investigate Trump and administration actions. 
   
   Trump says he's been hearing about investigations since he began running for president and refers to it as "investigation fatigue." 
   
   He says he will respond in kind if House Democrats flood his administration with subpoenas and government will come to a halt. 
   
   Trump adds that Democrats have "nothing, zero" on him. 
   
   ___ 
   
   12:25 p.m. 
   
   President Donald Trump is calling out Republican candidates who apparently did not support him enough and lost congressional seats in Tuesday's elections. 
   
   At a news conference in the White House East Room on Wednesday, Trump crowed that Republicans held control of the Senate and then took aim at members of the House, where the GOP lost. 
   
   Rep. Mike Coffman in Colorado blames his loss on resentment toward Trump in his Denver-area district. The president responded: "Too bad, Mike." 
   
   Trump says Utah Rep. Mia Love "gave me no love, and she lost," even though the race was too close to call. 
   
   Trump says his vigorous campaigning stopped a so-called "blue wave," ''if there ever was such a thing." 
   
   The GOP is expected to add to its Senate edge, but Democrats regained control of the House. 
   
   ___ 
   
   12:15 p.m. 
   
   President Donald Trump says Republicans "defied history" in the midterms as he seeks to take credit for expected Republican gains in the Senate while minimizing House losses. 
   
   Trump discussed the election results at a White House press conference on Wednesday. He says Republicans "dramatically outperformed historical precedents." 
   
   The GOP is expected to add to its Senate edge, but Democrats regained control of the House. The mixed verdict in the first nationwide election of Trump's presidency showed the limits of his hardline immigration rhetoric in today's political landscape. 
   
   Midterm losses are typical for the party in the White House. Trump stressed the anticipated Republican pickups in the Senate and said the GOP had surpassed expectations in the House, citing the high number of retirements. 
   
   ___ 
   
   9 a.m. 
   
   President Donald Trump says Democrat Nancy Pelosi "deserves" to be the next House speaker. 
   
   Democrats won back control of the chamber in Tuesday's election and Pelosi would be in line to be elected speaker. The California Democrat was the nation's first female speaker from 2007-2011. But a number of House Democratic candidates have said they won't support her for the top role. 
   
   Trump said Wednesday that "if they give her a hard time, perhaps we will add some Republican votes. She has earned this great honor!" 
   
   House Democrats meet later this month to elect party leaders and Pelosi is expected to win most of those votes. But being elected speaker in January requires a majority of House votes. 
   
   Pelosi has been up front about not wanting to pursue impeaching Trump. 
   
   ___ 
   
   8:30 a.m. 
   
   President Donald Trump is warning Democrats against using their new majority in the House of Representatives to investigate his administration. He said in a tweet Wednesday that if they do, the Republican-controlled Senate may investigate Democrats. 
   
   With the Democrats in the majority they will have the power to launch investigations and subpoena records, including possibly Trump's tax filings and private business dealings. 
   
   Trump said that if the Democrats plan to "waste Taxpayer Money investigating us at the House level," then Republicans "will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all of the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level." 
   
   He said that "two can play that game!" 
   
   It wasn't clear what leaks he was referring to. 
   
   Asked about potential investigations, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said in a CNN interview Wednesday that "the president is not nervous about anything." 
   
   __ 
   
   7:50 a.m. 
   
   President Donald Trump is praising candidates who embraced his policies and principles during the midterm election, saying they "did very well." 
   
   In a tweet Wednesday, Trump tells those candidates who avoided him to "say goodbye!" 
   
   Trump campaigned repeatedly for Republican Senate and gubernatorial candidates in Missouri, West Virginia, North Dakota, Florida, Georgia and other states where he won in 2016. Several of those candidates won their races Tuesday night, while other contests remained too close to call. 
   
   Trump says Tuesday's "Big Win" for Republicans was achieved "all under the pressure of a Nasty and Hostile Media!" 
   
   But Tuesday didn't bring complete good news for Republicans; Democrats won back control of the House. 
   
   Trump is scheduled to "discuss our success in the Midterms!" at a White House news conference later Wednesday. 
   
   __ 
   
   7:40 a.m. 
   
   President Donald Trump will address the midterm election results at a late-morning White House news conference. 
   
   Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced on Twitter that Trump will take questions from reporters at the White House at 11:30 a.m. EST. 
   
   Democrats took back control of the House from Trump's Republican Party. But the GOP gained ground in the Senate by defeating several Democrats in states where Trump was elected by wide margins in 2016. Republicans also preserved governorships in key states like Ohio and Florida. 
   
   Trump campaigned aggressively in the closing days of the campaign, mostly to help Republican Senate candidates. 
   
   __ 
   
   With the loss of the Republican majority in the House, President Donald Trump is facing the prospect of endless House investigations and fresh questions about the resilience of his unorthodox political coalition. 
   
   Still, he celebrated GOP success hanging on to the Senate and distanced himself from any blame. Late Tuesday, Trump tweeted: "Tremendous success tonight. Thank you to all!" Early Wednesday, Trump added: "Now we can all get back to work and get things done!" 
   
   On Tuesday, Trump called House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, a conversation that her office said included congratulations and a nod to her pitch for bipartisanship. 
   
   ___ 
   
   For AP's complete coverage of the U.S. midterm elections: http://apne.ws/APPolitics ||||| "At your request I am submitting my resignation," Sessions wrote in a letter to White House chief of staff John Kelly. 
   
   Matthew Whitaker will take over as acting attorney general, the President said. 
   
   Whitaker is expected to take charge of the Russia investigation and special counsel Robert Mueller from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Whitaker has been openly critical of Mueller and the investigation and Democrats immediately called on him to recuse himself, just as Sessions had. 
   
   "We are pleased to announce that Matthew G. Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, will become our new Acting Attorney General of the United States. He will serve our Country well ...We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date," Trump tweeted 
   
   JUST WATCHED Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired 01:52 
   
   The move is an abrupt end to what had been a tumultuous tenure for Sessions, originally one of Trump's earliest and most loyal surrogates as an Alabama Republican senator. He was a key figure in implementing Trump's vision for America and significantly rolled back Obama-era policies on immigration, police reform and civil rights. 
   
   Sessions was an enforcer of much of the Trump administration's hardline approach on immigration and regularly praised the President's tough words on crime. But even as he continued to carry out the Trump agenda, his relationship with the President remained strained and fraught for months due to the ongoing Mueller investigation. 
   
   Sessions received the request to resign from Kelly, not the President, on Wednesday morning, an administration official said. It is not clear whether Mueller was told ahead of time. 
   
   Sessions believed that Rosenstein has handled the investigation properly after it was dropped "right in his lap," according to a source familiar with Sessions' thinking. 
   
   "[Rosenstein is] a professional, he's tried to do the right thing and he's handled it as well as anybody could," the source said of Sessions' views on the matter. 
   
   However, the source said that Sessions himself has been frustrated that Mueller's investigation has not yet concluded, but DOJ officials have "tried to do the right thing every day and not be involved in arguing the case in the media." 
   
   In a statement, Whitaker said he will lead a "fair" department with high ethical standards. 
   
   "It is a true honor that the President has confidence in my ability to lead the Department of Justice as Acting Attorney General. I am committed to leading a fair Department with the highest ethical standards, that upholds the rule of law, and seeks justice for all Americans," he said. 
   
   Trump constantly criticized Sessions 
   
   Sessions' ouster came a day after the midterm elections saw Republicans hold onto control of the Senate -- which would confirm Trump's eventual permanent choice to head the Justice Department -- and just weeks after Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to multiple counts of campaign finance violations, tax fraud and bank fraud and Trump's former campaign chair Paul Manafort was found guilty of eight charges including tax fraud and bank fraud. 
   
   Sessions was aware that Cohen was facing bank fraud and tax violations but had been walled off from the campaign finance aspects of the investigation into Trump's former lawyer, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told CNN. 
   
   Trump's distaste for Sessions was well known -- and publicly reinforced by the President himself on a regular basis -- after the attorney general recused himself from all matters related to the 2016 campaign early in Trump's term. 
   
   The President mocked Sessions in August as " scared stiff and Missing in Action ." Later the same month as Trump continued to rail against him, Sessions issued a statement firing back at Trump and declaring, "While I am Attorney General, the actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations. I demand the highest standards, and where they are not met, I take action." 
   
   Just days later, Trump knocked the Sessions-led Justice Department for indicting two Trump-supporting Republican congressmen ahead of the midterm elections. Both lawmakers won their re-election bids Tuesday. 
   
   But Sessions hung on, and although there was no formal reconciliation, the President allowed him to stay, even despite the unwillingness of White House spokespeople to publicly confirm, for days, that Trump had confidence in the attorney general. 
   
   In early August, Trump tweeted that Sessions "should stop" Mueller's investigation, raising questions as to whether the President was attempting to obstruct justice. Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani told CNN's Dana Bash that Trump was merely "expressing his opinion on his favorite medium." 
   
   Sessions, for his part, consistently maintained that his recusal decision was made in consultation with career ethics officials at the Justice Department and was in the works from the time he was sworn in. 
   
   Democrats demand continued independence for Mueller 
   
   Top Democrats immediately called for Mueller's investigation to be allowed to proceed. 
   
   "Given his previous comments advocating defunding and imposing limitations on the Mueller investigation, Mr. Whitaker should recuse himself from its oversight for the duration of his time as acting attorney general," Schumer said. 
   
   Former Obama administration Attorney General Eric Holder declared interference with the special counsel "a red line." 
   
   "Anyone who attempts to interfere with or obstruct the Mueller inquiry must be held accountable. This is a red line. We are a nation of laws and norms not subject to the self interested actions of one man," Holder tweeted. 
   
   Anyone who attempts to interfere with or obstruct the Mueller inquiry must be held accountable. This is a red line. We are a nation of laws and norms not subject to the self interested actions of one man. — Eric Holder (@EricHolder) November 7, 2018 
   
   New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler tweeted a vow for accountability. Nadler is poised to chair the House Judiciary Committee next year. 
   
   "Americans must have answers immediately as to the reasoning behind @realDonaldTrump removing Jeff Sessions from @TheJusticeDept. Why is the President making this change and who has authority over Special Counsel Mueller's investigation? We will be holding people accountable," Nadler tweeted. 
   
   Immigration bonded him with Trump from the start 
   
   Sessions' campaign loyalty to Trump earned him a plumb spot in the administration as attorney general, and Sessions' former aides and allies, including prominent Trump adviser Stephen Miller, spread throughout the administration in key posts across multiple agencies. 
   
   Under Sessions, the Justice Department has been aggressive in trying to cut off funds to and punish sanctuary cities -- though the courts have repeatedly admonished many of those efforts -- and was the primary agency that justified the ending of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, a program that protected young undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children.
target: – Jeff Sessions is out as attorney general, report CNN and the AP. White House chief of staff John Kelly reportedly asked him to resign Wednesday, and Sessions' resignation letter was subsequently delivered to the White House. The speed of the move, coming so soon after polls closed, "suggested how eager Mr. Trump was for Mr. Sessions to depart," observes the Wall Street Journal. "At your request, I am submitting my resignation," Sessions wrote in a letter addressed to the president, which you can read here. "Since the day I was honored to be sworn in as Attorney General of the United States, I came to work at the Department of Justice every day determined to do my duty and serve my country. I have done so to the best of my ability, working to support the fundamental legal processes that are the foundation of justice." More: