Mar 4, 2020 - Politics & Policy

"This is what happens": Trump calls out Jeff Sessions as Alabama Senate primary heads to runoff

Rashaan Ayesh

President Trump in the foreground and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the background — Photo: Keith Bedford/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

President Trump called out former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a Wednesday tweet as he heads to a runoff election to reclaim his Alabama Senate seat after Super Tuesday's primary.

"This is what happens to someone who loyally gets appointed Attorney General of the United States & then doesn’t have the wisdom or courage to stare down & end the phony Russia Witch Hunt. Recuses himself on FIRST DAY in office, and the Mueller Scam begins!"

Why it matters: Sessions held the seat for nearly two decades and has mentioned his Trump ties during the campaign — though the president has painted a completely different picture on social media.

Trump also retweeted an AP story that Sessions' challenger Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn University football coach, had advanced to the runoff.
With over 90% of the vote counted, Sessions, at 31.6%, was set to finish just behind Tuberville's 33.4%.
It proves how the president's support can be make-or-break for Republican campaigns across the country — especially in heated primaries.

What's next: Sessions and Tuberville will face off in the runoff on March 31. The winner will challenge Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the Senate, in the general election.

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"This is what happens": Trump calls out Jeff Sessions as Alabama Senate primary heads to runoff

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