Donald Trump Says Jeff Sessions Wasn’t ‘Mentally Qualified’ To Be Attorney General
Donald Trump is continuing his attacks on Alabama Republican Jeff Sessions, who served as attorney general in the president’s administration and is now attempting to win back his old Senate seat. As reported by The Hill, Trump suggested in an interview with Sharyl Attkisson on Full Measure that Sessions was mentally unfit to be attorney general.
“He’s not mentally qualified to be attorney general,” Trump said.
“He was the biggest problem. I mean, look, Jeff Sessions put people in place that were a disaster.”
Trump’s comments are part of an ongoing feud between the two stemming from Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from Robert Mueller’s FBI investigation into Russian interference; Trump eventually fired Sessions in November 2018.
The recent flare-up of the feud comes after Trump endorsed college football coach Tommy Tuberville, who is challenging Sessions’ bid and using his recusal from the Russia investigation as a focal point for attacks. In a statement, Sessions claimed his decision to recuse was aligned with his duty to uphold the law, CNN reported.
“To not recuse myself from that investigation, of which I was a target as a senior campaign official and a witness, would have been breaking the law. I do not and will not break the law.”
The statement echoes Sessions’ Twitter comments on Friday night.
“It protected the rule of law & resulted in your exoneration,” he wrote. “Your personal feelings don’t dictate who Alabama picks as their senator, the people of Alabama do.”
Speaking to Fox & Friends earlier on Friday, Trump suggested that he appointed Sessions out of obligation and called him “very weak and very sad.” The president also claimed Sessions — who he allegedly did not believe was qualified to be attorney general — begged him for the position.
“But he wanted and wanted and wanted it,” Trump said.
According to Trump, Mueller’s Russia probe would not have proceeded if current Attorney General William Barr was in Sessions’ place.
Sessions pushed back on the claims that he begged Trump to be attorney general. Nevertheless, the Alabama politician said he still supports Trump’s agenda and intends to vote for him in November.
As for the Senate race, Sessions will face off against Tuberville on July 14, and the winner will face Democrat Doug Jones in November. While Sessions echoes Trump’s positioning on some issues, New York Magazine reported that Tuberville is the favorite to win the Republican primary. According to a poll from the Cygnal firm, Tuberville currently has 55 percent support, while Sessions has just 32 percent.
