SALENA ZITO INTERVIEWS JEFF SESSIONS: FBI needs ‘to have a fresh start.’

“Well, I have believed it was important to have a fresh start at the FBI, and actually, it was in my letter to the president when I recommended Comey’s removal. I used the words, ‘fresh start,’ and the FBI director is Chris Wray, a very talented, smart, capable leader.

“I think it will give them an opportunity to go straight to the American people and say, ‘we are gonna win your confidence,’ ” he said.

When asked if he was concerned that the FBI had become too politicized, Sessions said the agency needs to be careful.

“Well, I would just say it this way. The Department of Justice, which includes the FBI, we all, we tend to be defensive. At this point in time, I think we need to go the extra mile to make sure that everything we do is not political. Everything we do is based on law and facts. And, whether we like it or not, there’s been erosion some in the confidence of the American people at the FBI and Department of Justice,” he said.

“And we need to earn that back, and because the heart and soul of the Department of Justice is very good,” he said.

A generous estimate is that there’s yet a long way to go.