Sessions urged to stand his ground in fight with Trump

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions is being urged by fellow conservatives to stand his ground as President Donald Trump escalates his assaults on the nation’s top lawyer in an apparent effort to make him resign.

Trump is furious with Sessions for recusing himself in March from all matters related to the ongoing Russia investigation, a decision that led to the appointment of a special counsel to lead the probe.

The Republican president was asked at a Rose Garden news conference Tuesday if he would dismiss the attorney general. "We'll see what happens,'' Trump said.  

"I'm disappointed in the attorney general,'' Trump said. "If he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me prior to taking office, and I would have picked somebody else. It's a bad thing not just for the president, but also for the presidency. I think it's unfair to the presidency."

He said he wanted Sessions “to be much tougher on leaks in the intelligence agencies that are leaking like they never have before.”

Meanwhile, Sessions appeared to show no sign of buckling on Tuesday. The attorney general’s chief of staff, Jody Hunt, told the White House that Sessions "plans to move forward with his agenda in the department and he has no plans for resigning.''

Trump also took a swipe at Sessions on Twitter, calling him “our beleaguered AG” and questioning why Sessions was not investigating “Crooked Hillary’s crimes & Russia relations.”

One Republican close to the White House said senior aides, including communications director Anthony Scaramucci, have urged Trump to sit down with Sessions and work through their differences, according to The Washington Post. 

Republican Senator Orrin Hatch said the attorney general "is among the most honorable men in government today. ... I have full confidence in Jeff's ability to perform the duties of his office and, above all, uphold the rule of law.''

Current and former Justice Department officials also said they hope Sessions would resist Trump's pressures and defend the department's independence.

Read more:

• Sessions allies: Trump forcing resignation
• Trump intensifies attacks on Jeff Sessions

The president and his advisers have reportedly discussed replacing Sessions, a remarkable public break with one of his earliest political supporters.

Trump has said he never would have hired Sessions had he known the attorney general would recuse himself from overseeing the Russia investigation that has consumed his presidency.

Political analysts say Trump is backing Sessions into a corner with the hope that he will step down.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer argued Tuesday that Trump is trying to "bully" his attorney general out of office, adding that the verbal attacks speak to the president's "character."

"We should all take a moment to think about how shocking these comments are on a human basis," the New York Democrat said on the Senate floor.

"This was the first person who stumped for Donald Trump, who was with him through thick and thin. And now, even if the president has disagreements with him, which I think are ill-founded, self-centered and wrong, you don't ridicule him in public, someone who is your close friend. That speaks to character."

Reports say the president is considering replacements like former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas.

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