President Trump ramped up public ridicule of his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, and raised new doubts about his future leading the Justice Department by saying “time will tell” whether he gets fired or opts to quit.
Mr. Trump has upbraided Mr. Sessions for days in interviews and in tweets, adding to intrigue surrounding the Justice Department special counsel’s Russia investigation, which has become a major distraction for the White House.
The president hammered home his displeasure with Mr. Sessions, who was one of his earliest and most loyal supporters in Washington, at a Rose Garden press conference Tuesday.
“I’m very disappointed with the attorney general. But we will see what happens. Time will tell. Time will tell,” Mr. Trump said when asked if he planned to fire or force out Mr. Sessions.
The president insisted he wasn’t letting Mr. Sessions twist in the wind.
“I don’t think I am doing that. But I am disappointed in the attorney general,” he said.
Mr. Sessions has signaled that he does not plan to resign.
Mr. Trump voiced the same criticism of Mr. Sessions that he did in a New York Times interview last week and in a series of tweets, including that the attorney general shouldn’t have recused himself from the Russia investigation and that he should be tougher in finding leaks from inside U.S. intelligence agencies.
Earlier, the president faulted Mr. Sessions for not pursuing criminal charges against 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
“Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!” he tweeted. “Problem is that the acting head of the FBI & the person in charge of the Hillary investigation, Andrew McCabe, got $700,000 from H for wife!”
Mr. McCabe’s wife, who ran for a state office in Virginia, received several hundred thousand dollars from political action committees controlled by Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat and close friend and ally of the Clintons.
Mr. Trump also blasted Mr. Sessions for failing to investigate Ukrainian efforts to “sabotage” the Trump campaign and “boost” Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy.
“So where is the investigation A.G.,” Mr. Trump tweeted.
Mr. Sessions cited his involvement in the Trump campaign as the reason for recusing himself from the investigation.
The leaks from intelligence agencies also provided information that fueled the Russia investigations, which include separate probes by House and Senate intelligence committees, the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller.
Continuing to send mixed messages, Mr. Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he is looking at the possibility of firing Mr. Sessions, who gave up a Senate seat from Alabama to become attorney general.
At the press conference, the president stressed that Mr. Sessions shouldn’t have taken the job if he planned to recuse himself from the investigation into Russian election interference and accusations of Trump campaign collusion.
“I think that’s a bad thing not for the president, but for the presidency,” said Mr. Trump. “I think it’s unfair to the presidency. And that’s the way I feel.”
Meanwhile, a parade of Senate Republicans defended Mr. Sessions and his decision to recuse himself.
“I think the attorney general is doing a fine job, and I think he made the right decision to recuse himself from the Russia matter,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican.
Sen. Rob Portman, Ohio Republican, called Mr. Sessions “a man of deep conviction and principle who believes in the rule of law.”
“We may not agree on every policy issue, but I believe he always has the best interests of our country at heart,” Mr. Portman said.
With Mr. Sessions’ job security in doubt, stories began circulating in Washington about a candidate to replace him, such as former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
Mr. Giuliani denied that he was under consideration and said he agreed with Mr. Sessions’ decision to recuse himself, an indication that Mr. Giuliani — also a prominent figure in the Trump campaign — would do the same if he were attorney general.
Mr. Cruz also refuted reports.
“I was proud to vote to confirm Jeff and to vigorously defend his confirmation, and I’m deeply gratifying that we have a principled conservative like Jeff Sessions serving as attorney general,” Mr. Cruz said. “My focus is and will remain on fighting every day to defend 28 million Texans in the U.S. Senate.”
⦁ Dave Boyer and Alex Swoyer contributed to this report.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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