WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is praising his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, and accusing Democrats of conducting a "witch hunt" in their criticism of Sessions' testimony about his contact with the Russian ambassador during the presidential campaign.

Sessions on Thursday recused himself from any investigation into Russian meddling in America's 2016 presidential election. He acted after it was revealed that he twice spoke with the Russian ambassador during the campaign and failed to say so when pressed by Congress. Some Democrats are accusing him of lying and calling for him to step down.

In a statement Thursday night, Trump calls Session "an honest man" who did nothing wrong. The president says Sessions "could have stated his response more accurately, but it was clearly not intentional."

Trump says Democrats are trying to save face after losing the election, are overplaying their hand and have lost their grip on reality.

Trump says the real story is all of the "illegal leaks" of classified or other information. He concludes, "This is a total witch hunt!"

[Associated Press]