Attorney General Jeff Sessions has issued a rare rebuke of President Donald Trump.

It came in a statement Thursday, shortly after Trump harshly criticized Sessions in an interview with Fox News.

Trump accused Sessions of not taking "control" of the Justice Department and blasted him for recusing himself from the Russia investigation; he said he had given Sessions the job only because he had previously been "loyal."

"While I am attorney general, the actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations," Sessions' statement said.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a rare rebuke of President Donald Trump in a Thursday statement after Trump harshly criticized Sessions in an interview with Fox News.

After the interview aired Thursday morning, the Justice Department released a statement from Sessions pushing back on Trump.

"While I am attorney general, the actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations," the statement said. "I demand the highest standards, and where they are not met, I take action. However, no nation has a more talented, more dedicated group of law-enforcement investigators and prosecutors than the United States."

"I am proud to serve with them and proud of the work we have done in successfully advancing the rule of law," Sessions wrote.

Trump had blasted Sessions in an interview on "Fox and Friends," charging he never took "control" of the Justice Department.

"I put in an attorney general that never took control of the Justice Department," Trump told the host Ainsley Earhardt. "It's sort of an incredible thing."

Trump also doubled down on his criticism of Sessions for recusing himself from the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

"Jeff Sessions recused himself, which he shouldn't have done, or he should have told me," Trump said. "He took my job, and then he said, 'I'm going to recuse myself.' I said, 'What kind of man is this?'"

"You know, the only reason I gave him the job is because I felt loyalty," Trump added. "He was an original supporter."

Sessions was the third member of Congress to formally endorse Trump and served as an adviser on the campaign.