U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Thursday that he would stay on his job despite President Donald Trump's public attacks on his recusal from the ongoing Russia probe.

"I plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate," Sessions said at a press conference of the Department of Justice, "I'm totally confident that we can continue to run this office in an effective way."

Sessions was responding to a series of questions about Trump's broad swipe at his administration's top law officers in a New York Times interview Wednesday.

Trump said he would not appoint Sessions to lead the Justice Department had he known Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia investigation.

The president also lashed out at Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders insisted later on Thursday that Trump's criticism did not indicate the president has lost confidence in the attorney general.

Trump "clearly" has confidence in Sessions or "he would not be the attorney general," Sanders said.

In March, Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation.

The U.S. intelligence community alleged that Russia meddled in the U.S. presidential race last year and there were connections between the Russian government and the Trump campaign.

A federal special counsel and several congressional panels are investigating these allegations.