New White House chief of staff John Kelly recently called Attorney General Jeff Sessions to assure him that he is safe in his job, a source familiar with the call confirmed to NBC News.
Kelly told Sessions on Saturday that the White House was supportive of his work and wanted him to remain the attorney general. The Associated Press was the first to report the call.
President Donald Trump has publicly criticized Sessions recently over his decision to recuse himself from the Russian election meddling investigation.
In an interview on Fox News, Sessions said the criticism was "kind of hurtful" but that he intends to stay in the job, as desired by Trump.