President Trump Throws AG Jeff Sessions Under The Bus

In what can only be described as "stunning," President Trump told the New York Times that had he known Attorney General Jeff Sessions would recuse himself on all matters pertaining to Russia, he would have never fired him. Trump says the decision to recuse was "very unfair to the president."

In a remarkable public break with one of his earliest political supporters, Mr. Trump complained that Mr. Sessions’s decision ultimately led to the appointment of a special counsel that should not have happened. “Sessions should have never recused himself and if he was going to recuse himself he should have told me before he took the job and I would have picked somebody else,” Mr. Trump said.

In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times, the president also accused James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director he fired in May, of trying to leverage a dossier of compromising material to keep his job. Mr. Trump criticized both the acting F.B.I. director who has been filling in since Mr. Comey’s dismissal and the deputy attorney general who recommended it. And he took on Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel now leading the investigation into Russian meddling in last year’s election.

Trump also draws a red line in the sand saying Robert Mueller should not look into his family's financial records, again raising the question, "What's he hiding?"

It's interesting how much Trump bashes the NY Times but then sits down with them for these lengthy interviews. It's like he wants their approval so very badly.

Listen to the president below then head over to the New York Times for the wide-ranging interview.

The President today effectively asked Sessions for his resignation. Will he resign or insist on being fired? https://t.co/bShMQJtrBI

— Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) July 20, 2017

Huge, if true. The president publicly attacked his Attorney General. How do you recover from that? https://t.co/rNbrt6XfAj

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 20, 2017

The sheer #thirst that the president has for the New York Times' approval is something to behold.

— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 20, 2017

Why would Trump care whether Sessions recused himself or not unless he wanted him to quash the investigation? Unbelievable thing to admit.

— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) July 20, 2017

Suspect threatens cop if he looks in the freezer chest in the basement. https://t.co/52buVy2OPV

— Schooley (@Rschooley) July 20, 2017

UPDATE - AG Sessions told reporters today, “We love this job. We love this department, and I plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate."

AG Sessions on POTUS' comments: "I have the honor of serving as attorney general…I plan to continue to do so as long as that's appropriate” pic.twitter.com/5HglGhsuBZ

— ABC News (@ABC) July 20, 2017