President Trump will hold a rally in support of Jeff Sessions’s primary opponent in his former attorney general’s hometown.
The rally will take place at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, two days before a July 14 runoff election between Sessions and former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville, according to CNN.
“Alabama will vote solidly for @realDonaldTrump this fall, so his time would be far better spent in swing states he must win to be reelected,” Sessions tweeted in response to the news Monday.
That said, Alabama will vote solidly for @realDonaldTrump this fall, so his time would be far better spent in swing states he must win to be reelected.
— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) June 15, 2020
Sessions is aiming to retake his old Alabama Senate seat, competing against Tuberville in a runoff Republican primary next month amid a political feud between him and the president. Trump endorsed Tuberville over Sessions, claiming that his former attorney general let the country “down” by recusing himself from any involvement in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia inquiry.
“3 years ago, after Jeff Sessions recused himself, the Fraudulent Mueller Scam began,” Trump tweeted in late May. “Alabama, do not trust Jeff Sessions. He let our Country down. That’s why I endorsed Coach Tommy Tuberville (@TTuberville), the true supporter of our #MAGA agenda!”
Sessions has repeatedly defended his record as attorney general, claiming on social media that it led to Trump’s “exoneration” in Mueller’s Russia investigation.
In April 2019, Mueller released his long-awaited report on Russian interference, which did not find evidence of criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, although it did find substantial evidence that Russian actors actively attempted to influence the election.
“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,” Sessions tweeted in response to Trump’s endorsement of Tuberville.
The Alabama GOP nominee will face Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, who won a special election in 2018 against controversial candidate and former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore. Jones is one of the most vulnerable Democrats up for reelection in the U.S. Senate.
