Trump says he thinks Sessions' job is safe until at least the midterms
President Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg News on Thursday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions' job is safe until after the midterm elections — but declined to say whether Sessions would remain beyond November.
Asked if Sessions' job is safe until after the challenging November midterm elections, the president said, "I would – I would think so, yeah. I would think so."
Pressed as to how much longer he'd last, Mr. Trump said, "Oh, I don't – I don't even want to get into it. Look. I just want people to do their jobs. I have a great cabinet. I'm really happy with my cabinet. I've made some replacements. Mike Pompeo's becoming a star. You look at my cabinet members, we have really great cabinet members. There are those that say this is the best cabinet ever assembled. We really have great – and you've heard that, Sarah, too. We hear it a lot."
The statement comes after the president has ramped up his attacks on the attorney general over recusing himself in the Russia investigation and, in the eyes of the president, failing to do enough to investigate Mr. Trump's opponents.
Mr. Trump admonished his attorney general on Twitter last week, claiming he "never took control of the Justice Department." Sessions, in a rare statement, fired back, issuing a statement that said, "I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in."
Some Republicans in Congress who have defended Sessions have made room for the president's intense criticisms.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, told CBS News' John Dickerson that the Trump-Sessions relationship simply isn't working, and the president needs a Cabinet he's "confident in."
"The problems between the White House and the president and Attorney General Sessions go well beyond the recusal. I hope they can repair these problems, but I don't see that happening anytime soon," Graham said. "The Department of Justice needs a voice-- that people in the White House will listen to, and the president needs a Cabinet he's confident in. None of that is inconsistent with Mueller doing his job, as far as I'm concerned."
