President Trump chided his own attorney general on Monday, calling him “beleaguered” and fueling speculation he may be the next official ousted from the administration.
But law enforcement groups and Trump supporters are sticking by Jeff Sessions, saying dismissing the former Alabama senator would be a major blow to Mr. Trump’s own law-and-order agenda.
“Our support remains resolute for Attorney General Sessions,” said Jonathan Thompson, director of the National Sheriffs’ Association. “We have the greatest deal of respect for him.”
Jim Pasco, executive director of the National Fraternal Order of Police, said law enforcement groups are pleased with what Mr. Sessions and Mr. Trump have been able to accomplish thus far and are hopeful the partnership won’t fall apart.
“They are so philosophically in tune, the two of them, President Trump and Attorney General Sessions, with what rank-and-file cops think are law enforcement priorities that we’d like to see that team continue,” Mr. Pasco said.
After using a New York Times interview last week to blast Mr. Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, Mr. Trump took to Twitter on Monday to push his attorney general to probe his 2016 opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“So why aren’t the Committees and investigators, and of course our beleaguered A.G., looking into Crooked Hillarys crimes & Russia relations?” Mr. Trump tweeted Monday morning.
The tweet came even as the news website Axios reported that Mr. Trump has raised the possibility of former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as a replacement for Mr. Session.
Mr. Sessions was spotted Monday at the White House, though Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said the attorney general was in attendance for a weekly meeting and not there to see the president. She declined to comment on Mr. Trump’s recent remarks or any recent discussions between the president and the attorney general.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Mr. Trump’s latest tweet was another sign of his frustration that Mr. Sessions recused himself from leading the Justice Department’s probe into Russian meddling in last year’s election.
“There’s not much more to add beyond what we’ve already said on the matter,” she said.
Mr. Trump’s attacks on the attorney general are “mystifying,” said George Washington University School of law professor Jonathan Turley.
“The president would be in a much worse position if Sessions acted the way he recommended,” Mr. Turley said. “If Sessions acted to scuttle the Russia investigation or took steps to investigate Hillary Clinton there were would be a drumbeat on the Hill for commencement of impeachment hearings.”
One law enforcement leader said Mr. Trump’s continued attacks on Mr. Sessions could cost him a valuable constituency.
“It would be a major setback to the president’s policies and initiatives if the attorney general were to resign. Almost a cataclysmic setback,” said the leader, who requested anonymity in order to discuss the matter freely. “I think the president would probably watch his entire law enforcement community kind of blanch.”
Mr. Sessions, who was an early campaign supporter of Mr. Trump’s, responded last week to the initial public rebuke, saying on Thursday that he did not plan to step down and expected to continue to carry out the president’s directives as the country’s top law enforcement officer.
“I’m completely confident that we can continue to run the office in an effective way,” Mr. Sessions told reporters at the time. “We love this job. We love this department. And I plan to continue to do so as long as is appropriate.”
Mr. Sessions has also come under scrutiny in recent days after The Washington Post reported that U.S. spy agencies intercepted conversations then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak had with his superiors in Moscow in which he said he discussed campaign-related matters with Mr. Sessions last year.
Officials told the Post that Mr. Kislyak could have exaggerated the nature of his interactions with Mr. Sessions or mischaracterized the conversations but noted that the Russian ambassador was known for accurately relaying details to his superiors about his conversations and interactions in Washington.
The discrepancies were enough to prompt Sen. Dianne Feinstein, ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, to ask for him to come testify.
Mrs. Feinstein said it was the Judiciary Committee’s job to conduct oversight of the Justice Department and noted that it had been six months since Mr. Sessions was confirmed as attorney general and that he had not once been invited to testify before the committee. She asked committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley to consider scheduling a hearing for Mr. Sessions in August or September.
• Andrea Noble can be reached at anoble@washingtontimes.com.
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