President Trump says he would never have nominated Jeff Sessions to be attorney general had he known he would recuse himself from overseeing the Russia investigation.
In a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times, Trump called Sessions's decision unfair.
The president said it ultimately led to the appointment of a special counsel.
Trump said Sessions should have told him before he took the job if he was going to recuse himself, and if he had, he would have picked someone else.
In the interview, Trump also criticized former FBI director James Comey, the acting FBI director, and the deputy attorney general.
Trump also accused Special Counsel Robert Mueller of running an office filled with conflicts of interest.
Meanwhile, several members of the president's inner circle are set to testify in front of Senate committees next week.
His son, Donald Trump Jr., and former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, are scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee next Wednesday.
Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, is slated to speak with the Intelligence Committee on Monday behind closed doors.