Sessions dismisses Trump endorsing opponent: ‘No one tells us how to vote’

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions dismissed President Trump’s endorsement for his Senate primary opponent, maintaining that Alabamians would not be swayed by the president’s announcement.

“We are Alabama. Nobody tells us how to vote or what to do,” Sessions tweeted.

We are Alabama. Nobody tells us how to vote or what to do.

— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) March 11, 2020

The tweet comes after Trump came out in support of former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville in the run-off race for the Senate seat that Sessions vacated in 2017 when he became attorney general. 

While Sessions and Trump had a messy falling out over Sessions’s decision to recuse himself from the Justice Department’s Russia investigation, he insisted he would still advocate for the White House’s priorities if elected. 

“I’m one of the architects of the Trump agenda — I’ve always supported it and always will. Nothing the President can do will deter me from supporting this agenda, because my principles, just like my faith, are fundamental to who I am and immovable,” Sessions said. 

The president had been expected to endorse Tuberville after spending much of the first two years of his term berating Sessions over his recusal, but he had declined to insert himself into the race before Tuesday. 

Nevertheless, the boosted support for Tuberville is still a blow to Sessions, whose campaign had repeatedly noted that he was the first member of Congress to back Trump’s 2016 presidential bid.

Tuberville has worked to highlight the rift between Trump and Sessions, saying that he would be a true ally of the president in the Senate while saying Sessions’s recusal shows he can’t be trusted to back the White House. 

The two Republicans will face off on March 31 for the chance to take on Sen. Doug Jones (D), one of the most vulnerable incumbent senators up for reelection in November.