Saturday Night Live: Robert De Niro appears as Mueller to say goodbye to Jeff Sessions

The Oscar winner played Robert Mueller,

Despite the midterm vote having taken place earlier this week, there was no question over who Saturday Night Live would mock in their cold opening:

Jeff Sessions has routinely been a target for the cast, Kate McKinnon having impersonated the former US Attorney General on multiple occasions.

With Donald Trump replacing him with loyalist Matthew Whittaker, the story was too ripe for comedy not to open with.

"Jeff? Jeff? Are you in there?" begins Aidy Bryant, playing Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

McKinnon's Sessions then appears from within a table: "You caught me. I was just trying to give the new Attorney General a bit of a scare.

"This is Matthew Whitaker's office now, Jeff," Sanders responds.

"I don’t understand how Mr Trump could replace me with Matt Whitaker," Sessions says. "He’s just a shady businessman with no experience who’s blindly loyal to Donald Trump. OK, hearing it out loud, that makes sense."

After Mike Pence (Beck Bennett), Eric Trump (Alex Moffat), and Donald Trump Jr. (Mikey Day) stop by for a visit, a special guest stops by playing Robert Mueller, the special counsel responsible for investigating Russia's influence on the 2016 presidential election: Robert De Niro.

"I just came by to say thanks for all your help with the investigation," the Oscar-winner's Mueller says.

McKinnon's Sessions responds "What did I do?"

"More than you ever know," he responds. Watch the full sketch below.

The episode was presented by Liev Schreiber, who stars in the series Ray Donovan, and had musical guest Lil Wayne.