President Trump tore into Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday morning, saying he’s disappointed in the top Justice Department official “for many reasons.”
The president’s comments came hours after he launched his most direct criticism yet of Sessions in an interview with the Hill. Complaining that his attorney general has failed to push tough immigration laws at the border, in addition to criticizing his recusal from the Russia investigation, Trump said the situation with Sessions is “very sad.”
“I’m disappointed in the attorney general for numerous reasons,” he told reporters early Wednesday, adding that he is “looking at lots of different things” regarding Sessions’ fate as the nation’s top law enforcement official.
[Related: Trump: ‘I don’t have an attorney general’]
The president has targeted Sessions in tweets and public comments for months, ever since the former Alabama senator removed himself from overseeing the federal inquiry into Russian election meddling. Some Republican senators have suggested recently that Trump should replace Sessions following the November midterm elections, claiming the attorney general’s relationship with the White House is damaged beyond repair.
“We need an attorney general that can work with the president, that can lead the Department of Justice,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in late August.
But Trump declined to say whether he plans to replace Sessions when asked about the possibility by the Hill this week.
“We’ll see what happens. A lot of people have asked me to [fire him]. And I guess I study history, and I say I just want to leave things alone, but it was very unfair what he did,” he said.
[Opinion: Trump can disparage Jeff Sessions all he likes, but he’s in trouble if the AG quits now]
