Politics

Trump won't say whether he'll fire Sessions, but says he's 'very disappointed' in attorney general

Key Points
  • Trump publicly aired his frustration with Attorney General Jeff Sessions at a press conference on Tuesday. He declined to say whether he would ask Sessions to resign.
  • Before the press conference, Trump told The Wall Street Journal he was "very disappointed" with Sessions for his decision to recuse himself from the Russia probe.
  • Last week, Trump told the New York Times he was frustrated with Sessions. Since then, he has tweeted criticisms of Sessions' work.
Trump continued to show disappointment in Sessions
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Trump continued to show disappointment in Sessions

President Donald Trump publicly aired his frustration with Attorney General Jeff Sessions during an afternoon press conference Tuesday with the Lebanese prime minister.

"He should not have recused himself almost immediately after he took office, and if he was going to recuse himself he should have told me to prior to taking office, and I would've quite simply picked somebody else," Trump said.

Trump said he thinks Sessions' actions were "unfair to the presidency." The president, however, declined to say whether he would ask Sessions to resign or if Sessions should resign on his own. Instead, he said, "we'll see what happens. Time will tell."

The statements came after an interview with The Wall Street Journal in which Trump said he is "very disappointed" with Sessions for his decision to recuse himself from a probe into whether Russia meddled in the presidential election. Trump declined to say whether he planned to fire Sessions.

Trump has tweeted his frustration with Sessions. The Wall Street Journal asked how long Trump planned to criticize his attorney general without firing him.

"I'm just looking at it," he told the Journal. "I'll just see. It's a very important thing."

Last week, Trump told The New York Times he would have never appointed Sessions if he knew Sessions would have recused himself from the Russia investigation. Since then, Trump has been vocal about his disapproval of Sessions' work.

Hours before Trump's press conference remarks, he tweeted:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!

The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

WATCH: Firing Sessions would be a distraction

AEI's Jim Pethokoukis: Firing Sessions would distract from health care, tax reform
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AEI's Jim Pethokoukis: Firing Sessions would distract from health care, tax reform