NYT's Schmidt: Trump 'views his attorney general as a protector'

The New York Times's Michael Schmidt told MSNBC Friday morning that President TrumpDonald John TrumpGeorge Conway pens op-ed predicting Trump will lose Supreme Court case over tax disclosures Top intel official leaving post Eleven Secret Service agents test positive for COVID-19: report MORE "views his attorney general as a protector."

"What we learned about is how the president views his attorney general," Schmidt, a Washington correspondent for The New York Times and MSNBC contributor, said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." 

"He views his attorney general as a protector, as someone there to be a buffer and safeguard. He had his White House counsel, his top lawyer, go to the attorney general in March and say, 'Look, don’t recuse yourself from the Russian investigation. There is no reason to do that.'"

"And then after the president found out he was going to recuse, he got extremely angry," he continued. "He said, you know, 'Barack ObamaBarack Hussein ObamaPelosi suggests large venue for DNC amid pandemic Obama surprises teachers on video call for Teacher Appreciation Week McEnany blames 'naively believing' CNN headlines for past anti-Trump comments MORE had Eric HolderEric Himpton HolderThe Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Facebook - In reversal, Trump says he won't disband coronavirus task force The Hill's Campaign Report: Trump embraces underdog role Former Attorney General Eric Holder endorses Biden for president MORE, JFK had RFK. Where is my Roy Cohn?' referring to his long-term personal lawyer and saying, 'Where is this person to protect me?' And that, for us, really provided a window into how he viewed the top law enforcement position, the top person underneath him at a time that the Russia investigation was accelerating."

Schmidt's comments reference a report he published in The New York Times late Thursday, which focused on Trump's desire to stop Sessions from recusing himself in 2017. 

Last July, Trump had complained to Schmidt and fellow New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman in an interview about the decision to recuse by Sessions that eventually led to the appointment of a special counsel led by former FBI Director Robert MuellerRobert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE. 

“Sessions should have never recused himself, and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job and I would have picked somebody else,” Trump told the reporters in a wide-ranging interview on June 19. 

“Jeff SessionsJefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsTrump says he learned a lot from Nixon: 'Don't fire people' COVID-19's class divide creates new political risks Political divide on reopening deepens as Southern states move forward MORE takes the job, gets into the job, recuses himself, which frankly I think is very unfair to the president,” he added. “How do you take a job and then recuse yourself? If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, ‘Thanks, Jeff, but I’m not going to take you.’ It’s extremely unfair — and that’s a mild word — to the president," he added. 

Mueller was appointed as special counsel to investigate alleged Russian collusion with Trump campaign associates shortly after the president fired then-FBI Director James ComeyJames Brien Comey'Do as I say, not as I do': Virus exposes two standards of justice Trump says he learned a lot from Nixon: 'Don't fire people' Comey, McCabe slams Justice for dropping Flynn case: 'Pure politics designed to please' Trump MORE on May 17.