In a remarkable preelection open letter to Alabama, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended his decision to recuse himself from the so-called Russia collusion inquiry that led to his firing, explaining that it was what the “law required me to do.”

Over three pages, Sessions, who is seeking to win the Senate seat he gave up to be attorney general in 2017, also said that he has never wavered from his support for President Trump, and he emphasized that even after leaving Washington, he has remained a strong ally of the president.