Jeff Sessions Preferred FBI Hired Irishmen: 'They Were Drunks but They Could Be Trusted,' Book Claims

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions regularly and casually used shocking racist sentiments while serving in President Donald Trump's cabinet, according to a new book written by former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

In his memoir—titled The Threat—McCabe paints a picture of an attorney general who struggled to understand the workings of government, was unable to stay on top of his busy schedule and blamed almost all the country's problems on immigration, Washington Post reporter Greg Miller wrote in his review of the book.

In one particularly shocking exchange, Sessions reportedly told McCabe the FBI was a better organization when "you all only hired Irishmen." Drawing on archaic and offensive stereotypes, he clarified, "They were drunks but they could be trusted. Not like all those new people with nose rings and tattoos—who knows what they're doing?"

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment on the reports.

Sessions' views on race were described as "reprehensible" and constantly aimed to link immigration to crime, Miller reported. The attorney general "believed that Islam—inherently—advocated extremism," while discussions about specific criminal suspects always began with the question, "Where's he from?" quickly followed by, "Where are his parents from?"

Not only was Sessions outwardly ignorant about ethnic minorities, he also apparently struggled to keep up with the most basic demands of his job. The former Alabama senator—whom Trump reportedly once branded "mentally retarded" and a "dumb Southerner"—had "trouble focusing, particularly when topics of conversation strayed from a small number of issues."

McCabe also noted that electronic tablets used to deliver the daily presidential brief to Sessions came back with no sign that he had even entered the passcode to view the important document. He not only failed to read other intelligence reports but also got confused between classified material and information he read in newspaper clippings.

Miller wrote, "McCabe's disdain for Trump is rivaled only by his contempt for Sessions." The memoir grabbed headlines Thursday after McCabe revealed on 60 Minutes that he authorized an investigation into possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia after the president fired former FBI Director James Comey.

Trump quickly hit back at McCabe, calling him "a disgrace to the FBI and a disgrace to our Country." The president also claimed McCabe was pretending to be "a 'poor little Angel' when in fact he was a big part of the Crooked Hillary Scandal & the Russia Hoax—a puppet for Leakin' James Comey."

This article has been updated to reflect that Jeff Sessions is a former Alabama senator.

Jeff Sessions Andrew McCabe Irish Drunks
Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks during a news conference in Washington, D.C., on November 1, 2018. Sessions regularly and casually used shocking racist sentiments while serving in President Donald Trump’s cabinet, according to a new... Zach Gibson/Getty Images

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