Donald Trump tells reporter 'be quiet' when she asks him about healthcare

The press had been invited to a photo opportunity with outgoing White House interns

Donald Trump has derided reporters in front of a group of White House interns, after facing questions on Attorney General Jeff Sessions and healthcare.

During a photo opportunity with the White House's latest group of interns, he was asked by a reporter if he had anything to say about the current healthcare battle in the Senate. He replied with two words: "Be quiet".

When asked about Mr Sessions and whether the Attorney General should resign, Mr Trump rolled his eyes, before turning to the interns and saying: "They’re not supposed to do that."

The President had tweeted earlier that Mr Sessions was "beleaguered" and asking why he was not looking into 2016 election opponent Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia.

The Attorney General is not the US President's attorney, but there to represent the American people. The office is independent from the White House, serving as the head of the Department of Justice.

The Trump campaign team is being investigated by the FBI, Congress, and Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller for the same.

What prompted the tweet was likely Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and his appearance in a closed session hearing in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Mr Kushner has had to revise his paperwork submitted to obtain security clearance to include previously undisclosed financial holdings and a meeting with former Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak, who he claimed he was unaware was the Ambassador.

His son Donald Trump Jr and former campaign manager Paul Manafort are also scheduled to testify in front of Congress over a meeting with a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and alleged financial ties.

Mr Trump has routinely railed against the "fake media," particularly those in the White House press corps despite giving a recent in-depth interview to the "failing" New York Times.

When asked about the status of the Republican replacement to Obamacare, he once again solicited laughter from the interns as he told the assembled reporters to "be quiet".

The Senate vote to pass the replacement bill failed as dissent within the Republican party grew and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell lost too many votes.

The media were soon ushered out of the room. The press had actually been unexpectedly called into the photo opportunity with the interns and it is customary for them to shout out questions during such events.

Mr Trump's aides, including former Press Secretary Sean Spicer, current spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and advisor Kellyanne Conway, have all been critical of mainstream media coverage of the President.