Washington (CNN) Senate Republicans are sending decidedly mixed messages about how they feel about the future of Attorney General Jeff Sessions amid unrelenting criticism from President Donald Trump.

Key GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have signaled in recent days they'd be open to replacing Sessions after the midterm elections. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, however, threw his weight behind Sessions Tuesday in no uncertain terms.

"I have total confidence in the attorney general. I think he ought to stay exactly where he is," McConnell told reporters.

A source close to Sessions told CNN that he spoke with McConnell last week, and Sessions has received a number of calls of support behind the scenes from his former colleagues after last week's dust-up with Trump.

But Sessions' tense relationship with Trump may only be one factor in the shift in support for Sessions on Capitol Hill from some of his earlier defenders.

Read More