Top members of the White House communications team on Sunday played down President Donald Trump’s complaints about Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from issues related to Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Newly appointed White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci suggested that if Trump did not have confidence in Sessions, he would no longer be attorney general.
“I want to leave that for the President and Attorney General Sessions to talk about themselves. My guess is, is that he’s in the seat, and so therefore the President still has confidence in him,” Scaramucci said on “Fox News Sunday.”
On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Scaramucci said that Trump’s criticism was “not really that big of a deal.”
“If people are very, very thin-skinned, I think it’s going to be super tough to work for this President,” he added.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday said Trump “clearly” has confidence in Sessions “or he would not be the attorney general.”
On ABC News’ “This Week,” Sanders said Trump remains “disappointed” that Sessions recused himself in March from matters to do with Russia.
“The President knows that the attorney general is trying hard and he appreciates that, but at the same time he’s disappointed that he chose to recuse himself,” she said. “I don’t think that that’s inconsistent or hard to understand.”
Asked if Trump is still frustrated months later, Sanders said, “Certainly, but I think again he’s mostly frustrated with the overall process.”
.@SHSanders45: Trump "knows the attorney general is trying hard…but at the same time he's disappointed that he chose to recuse himself." pic.twitter.com/CbydBM2ZML
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 23, 2017
