President Trump is not one to resist impulse, but Republicans still hope he will hold back on making controversial moves before November 6th so as not to damage the party before the midterms.
... [Trump's] talked about getting rid of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein or Attorney General Jeff Sessions. For months, there's been speculation he'll make a move against special counsel Robert Mueller.
But with 35 days to go before midterm elections that look increasingly challenging for Republicans, Trump allies are trying to hold back the president's impulses just a little bit longer, hoping to contain his ire until Election Day.
For now, Trump has mostly heeded the message.
(...)
Trump has made clear that Sessions' job is safe — at least until polls close. And while a high-stakes meeting between Trump and Rosenstein looms after an explosive New York Times report, Trump has suggested he's inclined to keep the deputy attorney general for now.
(...)
Sen. Lindsay Graham, a South Carolina Republican and Trump confidant, recently told NBC that Trump and Sessions had a "dysfunctional relationship."
"We need a better one. Is there somebody who's highly qualified that has the confidence of the president who'll also understand their job is to protect Mueller? Yes, I think we can find that person after the election, if that's what the president wants," Graham said.
The White House is trying to slow-walk Trump's response to Mueller's ongoing Russia probe.
In recent months, Trump's anger at the probe has grown, with the president believing that the special counsel was biased, overstepping his authority and potentially threatening Trump's immediate family, particularly his eldest son. Trump has complained repeatedly about curtailing the investigation only to be persuaded by a number of his closest advisers, including attorney Rudy Giuliani, not to take the step.
Election ahead, Trump's advisers try to get him to hold back (AP)