Republican senators Tuesday rallied to the defense of embattled Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who faced yet another humiliating broadside from President Donald Trump on Twitter.

Trump started his morning picking up where he left off Monday — by ripping Sessions.

“Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!” he tweeted.

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Calling for the prosecution of his 2016 opponent contradicts Trump’s own post-election statements, in which he backed away from the “Lock her up” calls that were a staple of the campaign.

The new White House communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, acknowledged in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt that the president probably wants Sessions gone.

Republican senators criticized Trump’s treatment of a man who became the first sitting senator last year to endorse the president’s White House bid and lent key staffers to the effort.

“Jeff Sessions has been loyal to the president, to a fault. He has been doing work for him,” Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) told Fox News. “But Jeff Sessions is the attorney general of the United States. He’s not the president’s personal lawyer. And I think he’s told him that, or led him to believe that, which is what he should do. I think Jeff Sessions is a man of principle, and he’s gonna stay there. And that’s important.”

Shelby, who represented Alabama along with Sessions for more than two decades, said his former colleague had no choice under Justice Department rules other than to recuse himself from handling the investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign, since he was involved in that campaign. That has been the source of Trump’s anger at Sessions. He blames that decision for the ultimate appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel.

Shelby urged Trump not to fire Sessions.

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“I think it wouldn’t be well-received on Capitol Hill, because Jeff Sessions has a lot of friends that respect him on both sides of the aisle,” he said. “Some of them might not agree with him. But I believe that most people in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. Congress believe Sessions is a man of integrity. And that’s a job that needs integrity above everything.”

Sessions drew support from Republicans with whom he has wide ideological differences. He furiously butted heads with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) over immigration, for instance. Yet, Graham praised the attorney general’s decency on Tuesday.

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“He’s a rock-solid conservative, but above else he believes in the rule of law,” he said in a prepared statement. “Jeff understands that we are a nation of laws, not men. On occasion, I’ve vigorously disagreed with Jeff, but I’ve never once doubted his integrity or sense of fair play.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) issued his own statement arguing that Sessions’ leadership is needed now more than ever after “eight years of organizational and accountability issues” during former President Barack Obama’s administration.

“I’ve worked with Jeff Sessions for years, and while we certainly may not agree on the specifics of every issue, I believed he would be a great attorney general because of his unwavering commitment to the rule of law,” he said in the statement. “In the nearly six months he has led the Department of Justice, he has maintained that commitment every day and demonstrated why he was widely respected during his years as a U.S. senator.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who joined all but one Democrat in voting against confirming Sessions, offered sympathetic words on the Senate floor on Tuesday.

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“We should all take a moment to think of how shocking these comments are — on a human basis. This is the first person who stuck his neck out for Donald Trump, who was with him through thick and thin,” he said. “And now, even if the president has disagreements with him — which I think are ill-founded, self-centered, and wrong — you don’t ridicule him in public, someone who was your close friend. That speaks to character.”

Schumer suggested Trump is trying to maneuver Sessions out of office so he can take advantage of the August break to make a “recess appointment” of a temporary replacement who would not be subject to Senate confirmation.

“Before this scheme gains wings, Democrats will never go along with the recess appointment if that situation arises,” he said. “We have some tools in our toolbox to stymie such action. We’re ready to use every single one of them.”