Trump fires back at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, pleads for investigations into 'other side'

Christal Hayes | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Analysis: Trump, Sessions spar as Trump rages The rift between President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions explodes into a public smackdown as Trump complains Sessions "never took control of the Justice Department”. AP Reporter Eric Tucker explains. (Aug. 23)

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump escalated the feud between himself and his own attorney general Friday, firing back at Jeff Sessions with a series of tweets seeming to mock Sessions for not investigating his opponents.

The president pleaded for a number of investigations and quoted a statement offered by Sessions on Thursday, in which the attorney general defended the Justice Department and said it wouldn't be influenced by politics.

"'Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations.' Jeff, this is GREAT, what everyone wants, so look into all of the corruption on the 'other side' including deleted Emails, Comey lies & leaks, Mueller conflicts, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Ohr," the president posted early Friday.

“Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations.” Jeff, this is GREAT, what everyone wants, so look into all of the corruption on the “other side” including deleted Emails, Comey lies & leaks, Mueller conflicts, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Ohr...... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2018

He continued listing off others who he believes Sessions should investigate in another tweet and offered another request: "Open up the papers & documents without redaction? Come on Jeff, you can do it, the country is waiting!"

....FISA abuse, Christopher Steele & his phony and corrupt Dossier, the Clinton Foundation, illegal surveillance of Trump Campaign, Russian collusion by Dems - and so much more. Open up the papers & documents without redaction? Come on Jeff, you can do it, the country is waiting! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2018

The mention of documents and redactions is an apparent reference to Trump's wish that the FISA surveillance warrants of his former aide Carter Page be declassified and released without redactions.

More: Attorney General Jeff Sessions defends himself – again – in face of attacks from President Trump

House Republicans have requested the measure, but the White House has yet to get involved in the matter.

In another tweet, Trump also pointed to the Justice Department's sentencing a former U.S. intelligence contractor to 63 months for leaking information about Russian meddling. Trump said this was "small potatoes" compared to Hillary Clinton.

"So unfair Jeff, Double Standard," he said.

Ex-NSA contractor to spend 63 months in jail over “classified” information. Gee, this is “small potatoes” compared to what Hillary Clinton did! So unfair Jeff, Double Standard. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2018

In a Fox News interview that aired Thursday, the president suggested he might release the material after the midterm elections.

"At the right time, I think I'm going to have to do the documents. I didn't want to. But I think I'm going to have to," Trump said. "There's such corruption."

It's not new for Trump to rail against Sessions. The two have had a tumultuous relationship since Sessions' decision to recuse himself from heading the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

But matters escalated this week with the conviction of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the guilty plea entered by former Trump attorney and fixer Michael Cohen.

Sessions issued a statement Thursday saying his office would "not be improperly influenced by political considerations" just hours after the airing of the Fox interview where the president railed against Sessions. When asked, Trump didn't dismiss the notion of firing the attorney general.

Contributing: Kevin Johnson