Jeff Sessions Indicates That He’s Done With Politics, Won’t Try To Win His Old Senate Seat Back

Jeff Sessions may be ready to say his last goodbye to politics. Politico reports that the Trump administration’s former attorney general may not run for his old Senate seat.

“I’ve been clearing my brain. I think that’s a fair statement,” he said in an interview. “I’ll go to Alabama, do some things and then that will clarify things a little more before I worry about making a statement.”

Session’s former Senate seat in Alabama is currently held by Democrat Doug Jones. Jones won the seat after a special election against Roy Moore. Moore fell into disrepute when his history of alleged relationships with underage girls made headline news.

Despite Jones’ recent win in Alabama, CNBC notes that he’s expected to face an uphill battle in his re-election bid in 2020. Jeff Sessions would be a major obstacle for Jones if he was inclined to run, Politico reports.

But it looks like even the prospects of an easy victory may not be enough to convince him to make an effort to become a senator again.

When Politico asked if he missed the Senate, Sessions said, “No. I mean, no.” He also expressed a desire to spend time with his family.

“I could go back and spend time in the woods. I’ve got 10 grandchildren, oldest is 11,” he added.

If Sessions does decide to run for the Senate, he could face a challenger at the primary stage. He ran uncontested for the Alabama Senate seat in 2014.

Jeff Sessions said he doesn't miss being a senator and won't be deciding anytime soon about running.

Sen. Doug Jones (right) is seen as the most vulnerable incumbent on the ballot in two years — and Sessions as a prime candidate to beat him https://t.co/u9XfSUEF0l pic.twitter.com/0GQNyxLARD

— POLITICO (@politico) December 5, 2018

Sessions’ time as attorney general was marked by an acrimonious relationship with President Donald Trump, even though he was the first senator to endorse him. As Time Magazine notes, Trump repeatedly indicated his displeasure with the fact that Sessions recused himself from any Justice Department investigations into potential collusion with Russia during the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.

In March 2017, the Washington Post reported that Sessions met with Russia’s ambassador to the United States and did not reveal this at his Senate confirmation hearing. Sessions recused himself the day after the report was published.

Two months after the recusal, special prosecutor Robert Mueller was appointed. Later, in May, a report from the New York Times claims that the president “berated” Sessions in the Oval Office and asked him to resign. Trump also started to undermine the former attorney general in public.

In August, the former senator fired back and said that he would not be “improperly influenced by political considerations.”

Sessions held on to the job until November. In his resignation letter, he indicated that he was stepping down as attorney general at the request of President Donald Trump.