By Harriet Sinclair
Associate Editor
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A Republican senator who worked closely with Jeff Sessions for years has said he would quit being President Donald Trump's "whipping boy" if he were the attorney general.
Speaking in an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday, Alabama Senator Richard Shelby said he would be reconsidering his job options in the same position, following squabbling between Sessions and Trump.
"I wouldn't stay at all unless the president wanted me to stay if he appointed me," Shelby said told host Neil Cavuto.
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"I wouldn't be anybody's whipping boy, I wouldn't be belittled because the president's saying he doesn't have any confidence in you… So that is Jeff's challenge right now, and what he wants to do and how he does it. He's a good man, he's going through a lot, he's got a lot of challenges," added Shelby, who represented Alabama with Sessions until he became attorney general.
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Shelby's comments come amid increasingly fraught exchanges between President Trump and the attorney general, with the pair openly swiping at one another this week.
"Why is A.G. Jeff Sessions asking the Inspector General to investigate potentially massive FISA abuse? Will take forever, has no prosecutorial power and already late with reports on Comey etc. Isn't the I.G. an Obama guy? Why not use Justice Department lawyers? DISGRACEFUL! " Trump tweeted on Wednesday, prompting Sessions to respond with an open statement.
" As long as I am the Attorney General, I will continue to discharge my duties with integrity and honor," Sessions responded, adding the department would continue to work in a fair and impartial manner.
Trump's anger with Sessions over the latter's decision to recuse himself from the ongoing Russia probe has led to open hostility from the president. The feud between the pair ramped up this week and once again prompted discussions about Sessions' future.
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