(CNN) President Donald Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions this past spring whether he would drop the federal case against Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, but was rebuffed at the time, according to The Washington Post. Sessions told Trump it would be inappropriate for him to interfere in the federal case against Arpaio, one of Trump's most ardent allies, according to three people with knowledge of the conversation who spoke with the Post. Trump eventually decided to let the case go to trial with the plan of pardoning Arpaio if he was convicted, according to the report. When asked about Trump's conversation with Sessions, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the Post: "It's only natural the president would have a discussion with administration lawyers about legal matters. It also declined to comment to CNN when asked about the Post's story.

Source: CNN August 27, 2017 01:18 UTC