Jeff Sessions continued to defend himself on Saturday after President Trump mounted an attack on the Alabama Republican’s campaign to reclaim his former seat in the U.S. Senate.
Mr. Sessions, Mr. Trump’s former attorney general, fired back after the president targeted him on Twitter the day before and touted his GOP rival in the bid to become senator.
The social media spat began late Friday when Mr. Trump took aim at Mr. Sessions and specifically his decision while leading the Department of Justice to recuse himself from any investigations involving Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election. That decision was followed by the appointment of a special counsel to investigate the race and later resulted in several former members of the president’s campaign being convicted of criminal charges and sentenced to prison.
“Alabama, do not trust Jeff Sessions. He let our Country down,” Mr. Trump tweeted, reiterating his support for Tommy Tuberville, a former football coach competing against Mr. Sessions to become the Republican candidate in the race against Sen. Doug Jones, Alabama Democrat.
Mr. Sessions replied on Twitter later Friday and again the following morning.
“Look, I know your anger, but recusal was required by law. I did my duty & you’re damn fortunate I did. It protected the rule of law & resulted in your exoneration. Your personal feelings don’t dictate who Alabama picks as their senator, the people of Alabama do,” Mr. Sessions tweeted.
“Mr. President, Alabama can and does trust me, as do conservatives across the country. Perhaps you’ve forgotten. They trusted me when I stepped out and put that trust on the line for you,” Mr. Sessions tweeted again later.
Mr. Trump did not immediately reply to either tweet as of early Saturday afternoon.
Mr. Sessions served in the U.S. Senate for 20 years before leaving to act as Mr. Trump’s first attorney general. He resigned from that role in late 2018.
