As the White House braces for former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony Thursday, sources tell ABC News the relationship between President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions has become so tense that Sessions at one point recently even suggested he could resign.
The friction between the two men stems from the attorney general's abrupt decision in March to recuse himself from anything related to the Russia investigation -- a decision the president only learned about minutes before Sessions announced it publicly. Multiple sources say the recusal is one of the top disappointments of his presidency so far and one the president has remained fixated on.
Trump’s anger over the recusal has not diminished with time. Two sources close to the president say he has lashed out repeatedly at the attorney general in private meetings, blaming the recusal for the expansion of the Russia investigation, now overseen by Special Counsel and former FBI Director Robert Mueller.
But sources say the frustration runs both ways, prompting the resignation offer from Sessions.
Trump flashes anger over Sessions recusal, Russia stories in tense Oval Office meeting Attorney General Jeff Sessions recuses himself from campaign probes amid Russia questionsAsked by ABC News if the attorney general had threatened or offered to resign, Justice Department spokesperson Sarah Isgur Flores declined to comment.
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Sean Spicer was asked today if the president still has confidence in his attorney general. He could not say.
“I have not had that discussion with him,” Spicer said.
“So you can’t say if he has confidence in his attorney general?” Spicer was asked.
Spicer responded: “I said I have not had a discussion with him on the question. I don’t, If I haven't had a discussion about a subject, I tend not to speak about it.”
ABC News' John Santucci and Jordyn Phelps contributed to this report.