Jeff Sessions has said he will not quit as US attorney general despite being criticised by Donald Trump for recusing himself from the investigation into Russian interference in last year's election.

"We love this job, we love this department and I plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate," Mr Sessions told reporters.

His comments followed a stinging rebuke by Mr Trump in a wide-ranging interview in which he also accused former FBI director James Comey of allegedly threatening him over compromising material.

In a stunning break with one of his earliest political backers, the President told the New York Times: "Jeff Sessions takes the job, gets into the job, recuses himself, which frankly I think is very unfair to the president.

Could Trump lose his job over Russia?

"How do you take a job and then recuse yourself? If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, 'Thanks, Jeff, but I'm not going to take you.' It's extremely unfair and that's a mild word to the president."


Mr Sessions chose to stand aside from any investigations into whether the Kremlin interfered in last year's election in March after it emerged that he twice spoke with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the campaign and failed to say so when asked by Congress.

Image: Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump

At the time, Mr Trump defended his long-time ally, accusing the attorney general's critics of conducting a witch hunt.

But it has since been suggested that the President was furious at Mr Sessions' decision, raging at White House aides at the time, according to reports, and later blaming his recusal for the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller to oversee the Russia inquiry.

Mr Sessions reportedly offered to resign his post as relations between the two soured, but the President did not accept the offer.

Image: Mr Sessions at an early Trump campaign rally in August 2015

By going public over his dissatisfaction with Mr Sessions, President Trump has undermined one of his earliest political supporters and demonstrated again that loyalty is what he desires most from subordinates.

Mr Sessions has already shown plenty of that, becoming the first US senator to endorse Trump's presidential campaign and supporting him staunchly since.

In June, the attorney general stonewalled lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee, repeatedly refusing to discuss his conversations with Mr Trump about the Russia investigation or the President's controversial firing of FBI director James Comey the previous month.

Image: Jeff Sessions testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee in June

Mr Sessions' decision to stay in his role will be a relief to the administration, which is already struggling to fill government posts and facing growing criticism over its failure to fulfil election pledges, such as repealing Obamacare.

But the issue that continues to dog his presidency is the investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election, which will see his son, Donald Jr, son-in-law Jared Kushner and former campaign manager Paul Manafort testify before senators next week.

Elsewhere in the interview, Mr Trump discussed his recent bonding and long handshake with French president Emmanuel Macron, saying: "He's a great guy - smart, strong, loves holding my hand."