“We don’t have time, nor is there a likely candidate who could get confirmed, in my view, under the current circumstances,” said Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the chamber’s No. 2 Republican. Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a key Republican swing vote, warned that removing Mr. Sessions because of his recusal from the Russia investigation “certainly would not be a wise move.” A spokesman for the majority leader, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said he was not aware of any change in the leader’s support for Mr. Sessions.
But there were signs of softening, too, mainly from Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa and the head of the Judiciary Committee. Mr. Grassley has warred with Mr. Sessions over one of his top policy priorities, a comprehensive bipartisan criminal justice overhaul also championed by the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner. Mr. Grassley has said he believes that Mr. Sessions has led opposition within the administration to the legislative package.
During Thursday’s meeting at the White House, the president held off on backing the proposal at least until after November’s midterm elections, concluding that an endorsement now carried too much political risk, according to a senior White House official who was not authorized to disclose the private discussions and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
“The president remains committed to meaningful prison reform and will continue working with the Senate on their proposed additions to the bill,” Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman, said in a statement.
Mr. Trump’s decision notably aligned him with Mr. Sessions, at least in the short term, and Mr. Grassley signaled his displeasure with the attorney general’s interference by suggesting he would be open to confirming a possible replacement for him. “I’ve got time for hearings this fall,” he told reporters. He had protected Mr. Sessions last year amid rumors of his firing by saying that the Senate would not make room for confirmation hearings for a new attorney general.
Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, also hedged his support for Mr. Sessions, noting that it was obvious Mr. Sessions had lost the president’s confidence and that he did not necessarily object to Mr. Trump replacing him under the right circumstances after the midterm elections. Mr. Graham had previously said that Mr. Trump would have “holy hell to pay” if he fired Mr. Sessions.
Mr. Trump, who tends to be far less confrontational with perceived foes in private settings, was cordial with Mr. Sessions at their meeting on criminal justice overhaul. Neither man brought up their barbed exchange, according to two senior administration officials who attended the meeting and spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.