Sessions says Trump's criticism is 'kind of hurtful'
Attorney General Jeff Sessions/Gage Skidmore
Attorney General Jeff Sessions told a Fox News interviewer on Thursday that President Donald Trump’s criticism of him is “kind of hurtful,” but he understands the president’s feelings about his recusal.
In an interview on Tucker Carlson Tonight, Sessions said he understands how Trump feels because the Russia probe “has been a big distraction for him,” report the New York Times, the Washington Post and Fox News.
Sessions recused himself from any investigation involving the presidential campaign after revelations that he met twice last year with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein then appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel to lead the investigation. Trump has said he would not have appointed Sessions if he had known he would recuse, and he has continued to criticize Sessions on Twitter and before the media.
Sessions told Fox News he recused himself after speaking with experts in the Justice Department, and he is confident he made the right decision. “An attorney general who doesn’t follow the law is not very effective in leading the Department of Justice,” Sessions said.
Sessions said Trump “wants all of us to do our jobs, and that’s what I intend to do.” One priority, the former Alabama senator said, will be leak investigations, and he intends to hold a news conference on that topic next week.
“The president has every right to ask the Department of Justice to be more aggressive in that, and we intend to,” Sessions said.
See also:
ABA Journal Trump, Sessions reportedly heading to ‘uneasy detente’ after firing of AG is discouraged
