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New White House chief of staff John Kelly called Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Saturday to reassure him that his position was safe despite the recent barrage of criticism directed at him from President Donald Trump, a source familiar with the call confirmed.

The Associated Press first reported that Kelly called Sessions on Saturday to stress that the White House was supportive of his work and wanted him to continue his job.

Kelly was sworn in Monday, replacing former chief of staff Reince Priebus , who was removed by Trump on Friday.

Trump recently criticized Sessions over his decision to recuse himself from any Russian-related investigations. On July 25 Trump in a tweet called Sessions "very weak" when it comes to investigating Hillary Clinton and he said at a press conference that "time will tell" whether Sessions would remain in the job.

Sessions said in an interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson on Thursday that the criticism was "kind of hurtful" but said he intended to remain in the role as long as desired by the president, and that "I do believe that we are making tremendous progress."