By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

U.S. President Donald Trump was coy Wednesday when asked if he would fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions who has been a repeated focus of Trump's ire.

"We are looking at lots of different things," was Trump’s response when asked by reporters.

Trump earlier blasted Sessions, saying during an interview with Hill.TV "I don’t have an attorney general. It’s very sad."

“I’m so sad over Jeff Sessions because he came to me. He was the first senator that endorsed me. And he wanted to be attorney general, and I didn’t see it," he added.

Trump appeared to backtrack slightly on his comments during his remarks to reporters at the White House, saying "I'm disappointed in the Attorney General for numerous reasons. But we have an Attorney General. I'm disappointed in the Attorney General for many reasons."

The president has long fumed at Sessions following the attorney general's decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation, but his criticisms have escalated during the past month.

Sessions made the decision to recuse himself after he failed to acknowledge during his Senate confirmation process two meetings with former Russian U.S. ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, while he was working for the Trump campaign.

Trump blames Sessions' decision for the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is seeking to determine whether the Trump campaign colluded with alleged Russian efforts to sway the 2016 election in Trump's favor.

Trump's broadside against Sessions escalated to include him saying the attorney general is not in control of the Justice Department, and calling on Sessions to investigate Democrats and other Trump critics.

The calls prompted Sessions to issue a rare public rebuke of his boss in which he said, "While I am Attorney General, the actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations."