Top Republican lawmakers rallied to the defense of Jeff Sessions on Tuesday as allies of the attorney general said President Donald Trump appeared to be trying to pressure him to quit by repeatedly criticizing him on Twitter and in interviews.
Trump said again he was frustrated that Sessions had recused himself from the federal investigation into possible collusion between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia and said he would not have appointed him had he known he would do so. He stopped short of saying whether he would fire him.
Two allies of Sessions told Reuters that Trump's public attacks went beyond a president simply venting his frustration but were part of a deliberate campaign to encourage the attorney general to step down.
They said Trump was likely reluctant to fire Sessions after his sacking of FBI Director James Comey backfired and led to the appointment of an independent special counsel, Robert Mueller, whose wide-ranging probe into contacts between Trump aides and Russian officials has cast a deep shadow over Trump's presidency.
The attorney general, who was the first Republican senator to back Trump's presidential campaign, has been deeply offended by the public berating from his boss
The Kremlin says it did not interfere in the election, and Trump has denied any collusion.
Asked about Sessions' future, Trump said at a news conference on Tuesday, "Time will tell. Time will tell."
The two allies of Sessions said the attorney general, who was the first Republican senator to back Trump's presidential campaign, has been deeply offended by the public berating from his boss, but his resolve to stay is strong.
It is not clear though whether that will be possible in the long term if Sessions' relationship with the president irretrievably breaks down.
As Trump and top White House aides stepped up their attacks on Sessions on Tuesday, Republican lawmakers, stunned by the extraordinary scene of a president lambasting a member of his own cabinet, push backed strongly.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the chamber, said Sessions "is doing a fine job and made the right decision to recuse himself from the Russia matter."
Some lawmakers also expressed disquiet with Trump's public humiliation of Sessions, who has mostly stayed silent on his boss's criticism.
“Mr President, maybe just try a meeting? This is beneath the office - of any held office - from city councilman to POTUS,” said Republican representative Adam Kinzinger, using the presidential acronym.
The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, accused Trump of trying to "bully his own attorney general out of office." He said if Trump fired Sessions, Democrats would fight any attempt to replace him during the August congressional recess.
Trump said in a tweet on Tuesday that Sessions had "taken a VERY weak position" on investigating his former opponent in the 2016 presidential election, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, over her use of a private email server. On Monday, Trump had called his attorney general "beleaguered".
Sessions recused himself in March from the Russia investigation after failing to disclose at his confirmation hearing that he had held meetings last year with Russia's ambassador in Washington.
At a news conference last Thursday, Sessions said he loved his job and planned to stay in it "as long as that is appropriate."