Donald Trump says 'time will tell' whether Jeff Sessions keeps attorney general job

The US attorney general has found himself directly in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump, with his boss launching a blistering attack against a political veteran who was Mr Trump’s earliest supporter.

Jeff Sessions, a former senator from Alabama, was widely seen as one of Mr Trump’s most loyal footsoldiers, and a man who shared his vision for immigration policy and law and order.

Profile | Jeff Sessions

Yet the president unleashed yet another attack on Mr Sessions on Tuesday, telling the Wall Street Journal he was "very disappointed" with Mr Sessions and refusing to rule out firing him.

“It’s not like a great loyal thing about the endorsement,” he said. “I’m very disappointed in Jeff Sessions.”

Asked whether he would remove Mr Sessions from office, Mr Trump repeated that he was disappointed in the attorney general’s decision to recuse himself.

“I’m just looking at it,” he said.  “I’ll just see. It’s a very important thing.”

He had begun his attacks at dawn, tweeting shortly after 6am: “Attorney general Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are the e-mails and DNC server) and intel leakers!”

Nine minutes previously, he had tweeted in reference to a report by Sean Hannity, a Fox News anchor and die-hard Trump loyalist, about Mrs Clinton receiving support for her presidential campaign from Ukraine.

“So where is the investigation, AG?” said Mr Trump.

The staunchly conservative senator was already reeling from an interview last week, in which Mr Trump told the New York Times he would never have appointed Mr Sessions if he knew he was going to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.

The president then warmed to his theme, describing Mr Sessions on Monday as “beleaguered” and wanting to know why he wasn’t investigating Mrs Clinton.

Sessions
Jeff Sessions, the attorney general

Mr Trump reiterated his comments in the Rose Garden of the White House, at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon with Lebanon's prime minister.

"I am disappointed in the attorney general," said Mr Trump. "He should not have recused himself almost immediately on taking office.

"If he was going to do so he should have told me and I would have picked someone else.

"I think it's a bad thing for the presidency, and that's the way I feel."

Asked again, he said: "I want Jeff to be tougher on the intelligence agencies, that are leaking like they have never leaked before.

"We will see what happens. Time will tell."

The president’s attacks have shocked many within the White House, given how Mr Sessions has set out to work diligently on Mr Trump’s pledges - reviewing policing, taking a hard line on immigration, ending sanctuary cities and rolling back a series of Obama-era civil rights actions.  The only thing Mr Sessions has not been able to do is stop the Russia investigation.

Maggie Haberman, the New York Times White House correspondent, tweeted: “I asked two ppl close to Trump why he is tormenting Sessions instead of firing him. The answer from both, paraphrased: Because he can.”

Anthony Scaramucci, Mr Trump’s newly-appointed communications director, did not deny that Mr Trump was now trying to force Mr Sessions out, in the hope of finding someone more compliant. Mr Scaramucci said he hoped the two men could sit down and work it out.

The Washington Post reported that Ted Cruz, a presidential rival Mr Trump nicknamed “Lyin’ Ted”, and whose father, he said, was perhaps involved in the assassination of JFK, could be drafted in. Political website Axios, meanwhile, suggested Rudy Giuliani, former New York mayor, could be a contender.

Speculation in Washington was that Mr Trump could make what is called “a recess appointment,” meaning that he could name a replacement attorney general, who would sit until January without needing Senate approval.

Sessions
Jeff Sessions

And the turmoil in the justice department came on a tough day for the Trump administration.

Paul Manafort, Mr Trump’s campaign manager from March to August 2016, was issued with a subpoena by the Senate intelligence committee, investigating the Trump team’s ties to Russia. It was later rescinded, amid reports that Mr Manafort remained in discussions about talking to the committee.

Mr Trump, in a continuation of his dawn Twitter rant, described it once again as a “witch hunt,” and sarcastically said his 11-year-old son Barron may soon be drawn into the scandal.

Jared Kushner, Mr Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, was again appearing before a Congressional panel – on Tuesday it was the turn of politicians on the House intelligence committee to question the 36-year-old, who on Monday insisted: “I did not collude.”

Congressmen on Tuesday night overwhelmingly passed a sweeping Russia sanctions bill that would impose new punishments on Russia for the election hack, and bars Mr Trump from easing the penalties without first getting permission from Congress.

The Senate is expected to act soon after the House vote, and the measure could be sent to Mr Trump before Congress breaks for its August recess. 

Heavy support for the bill from Republicans and Democrats, in the House and Senate, has effectively scuttled the potential for Mr Trump to derail the legislation.