Sessions hits back at Trump, says Justice Department won't be influenced

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Thursday his Justice Department won't be "improperly influenced by political considerations" in an apparent message addressed to President Donald Trump.

His comments — in a statement Thursday — seem to push back against the latest round of criticism by his boss Trump, who has repeatedly railed against the department and the FBI.

Trump told "Fox & Friends" in an interview that aired earlier Thursday that Sessions "never took control of the Justice Department and it's a sort of an incredible thing."

The president was angered when Sessions stepped aside from overseeing the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Trump has called the special counsel's probe a "witch hunt."

Sessions says there's no other nation with more talented and dedicated law enforcement investigators and prosecutors. Sessions says he's "proud of the work we have done in successfully advancing the rule of law."