US attorney general Jeff Sessions has resigned at President Donald Trump's request.
He is leaving after sustained public criticism from the US president.
In his resignation letter Mr Sessions says he is resigning at the president’s request.
....We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018
He said he worked to implement the law enforcement agenda that Mr Trump campaigned for.
Mr Trump's press secretary Sarah Sanders said the White House received a resignation letter from Mr Sessions earlier Wednesday and it had been accepted.
Mr Trump said he was pleased to announce Matthew G Whitaker, chief of staff to Mr Sessions, as acting attorney general. He said a permanent replacement for Mr Sessions would be nominated at a later date.
The US president has spent months attacking Mr Sessions publicly and privately over his recusal in 2017 from overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
Earlier on Wednesday Mr Trump said Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation "should end because it's very bad for our country."
“Millions of dollars have been spent” even though there was “no collusion’’ by his campaign with Russia, Mr Trump said during a press conference at the White House, a day after his party lost control of the House of Representatives.
“I could fire everyone right now, but I don’t want to stop it,” he said.
Mr Trump didn’t respond directly when asked about the future of Mr Sessions.
- Reuters