This morning, Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke publicly for the first time since President Trump criticized him to the New York Times. The Times released audio of the interview in which Trump says he wouldn’t have hired Sessions if he’d known he planned to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.

When asked, Sessions said he plans to stay on as Attorney General “as long as that’s appropriate” to do so.

Sessions says he'll stay as AG "as long as that's appropriate" despite Trump comments he'd have picked someone else https://t.co/V5hDbtJGMe

— CNN (@CNN) July 20, 2017

The President and others have been vocal about the fact that individuals like the AG and FBI director serve at the pleasure of the president. A fact no one denies. However, Trump’s mercurial attitude and penchant for criticizing those in his administration — along with the narrative Trump himself helped along that he fired former FBI Director James Comey over the Russia investigation — has many questioning whether the Justice department can do its job with Trump’s constant intrusion with such statements as he made to the New York Times.

Sessions using such careful language as he did this morning certainly indicates that no one except Donald Trump knows how long Jeff Sessions will remain as attorney general.