If Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigns or is fired by President Donald Trump, he could be replaced by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, according to The Washington Post, citing sources close to Trump, including White House officials.
According to the report, people close to Trump have been discussing various scenarios as the relationship between the president and attorney general has deteriorated.
Trump last week told The New York Times he never would have appointed Sessions had he known he would have recused himself from the Russia investigation. And on Monday, Trump tweeted that the "beleaguered" Sessions should be looking at possible crimes by Hillary Clinton, including her own ties to Russia.
Though Trump's comments last week were seen by many as an invitation to resign, Sessions instead said he is happy in his position and plans to stay.
But if that should change — or if Trump outright fires him — Trump could use next month's Senate recess to appoint a temporary replacement not requiring Senate approval before January.
Two names floated were Cruz, a rival to Trump for the GOP nomination, and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Giuliani shot down speculation about himself on Monday, adding that he agrees with Sessions' decision to recuse himself.
Cruz's spokeman didn't comment to the Post, but the newspaper noted that the senator previously said he "did not think it was necessary to appoint a special counsel," but added that once Robert Mueller was given the job, Cruz called him "an excellent choice."
Late Monday night, though, Cruz himself weighed in, stressing that he was not interested in the job.
“Jeff Sessions is a friend and a strong conservative. I was proud to vote to confirm Jeff and to vigorously defend his confirmation, and I’m deeply gratified that we have a principled conservative like Jeff Sessions serving as Attorney General,” Cruz said in a statement first reported by NBC News and The Hill.
“The stories being reported in the media tonight are false. My focus is and will remain on fighting every day to defend 28 million Texans in the U.S. Senate,” Cruz added.