Sessions fires back at Trump's criticism

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in his strongest public response to criticism from President Donald Trump, said on Thursday that the department would not be "improperly influenced by political considerations."

Sessions' rebuke of Trump came hours after Trump said in a TV interview aired earlier Thursday that Sessions has not taken control of the Justice Department.

"I put in an attorney general that never took control of the Justice Department, Jeff Sessions. Never took control of the Justice Department. And it's — it's sort of an incredible thing."

"I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in, which is why we have had unprecedented success at effectuating the President's agenda,'' Sessions said in a statement.

On Sessions recusing himself from the Justice Department's special counsel probe of Russian election meddling, Trump said: "What kind of man is this?"

Sessions was an early supporter of Trump's candidacy for the White House, and in the interview Trump said, "The only reason I gave him the job -- I felt loyalty."

Asked about speculation that he may fire Sessions after the November mid-term election, Trump said: "Well, I'll tell you what, as I've said, I wanted to stay uninvolved. But when everybody sees what's going on in the Justice Department — I always put 'Justice' now with quotes — it's a very, very sad day."

Trump has criticized Session, both in person and on his Twitter feed since Sessions recused himself from the inquiry under special counsel Robert Mueller to avoid a potential conflict of interest. Trump has said that he would have never hired Sessions if he had known he was going to recuse himself.

A new attorney general would have the power that Sessions surrendered when he recused himself: the ability to fire Mueller.

Republican Senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, a member of the Judiciary Committee that would confirm a new attorney general, last year warned Trump publicly that if he fired Sessions "there will be holy hell to pay."

But on Thursday he said Trump is "entitled to an attorney general he has faith in, somebody that's qualified for the job, and I think there will come a time, sooner rather than later, where it will be time to have a new face and a fresh voice at the Department of Justice."