The fractured relationship between President Donald Trump and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, now a candidate for U.S. Senate in Alabama, took a turn for the worse late Friday evening.
Trump tweeted out his support for Sessions’ opponent, former Auburn University football head coach Tommy Tuberville but not without taking a shot at his former attorney general by urging his followers not to trust Sessions.
Sessions fired back at Trump, arguing his recusal was justified and characterizing Trump as having been “damn fortunate” for the recusal.
Sessions went on to attack his opponent, Tuberville. He called Tuberville “a coward” and questioned his positions of China, trade and immigration.
The recusal has been a front-and-center topic ever since Sessions’ announcement that he was a candidate in what was a crowded primary last November. Sessions released a letter last week addressing his recusal, arguing that it was necessary under the law.
According to a Cygnal poll conducted May 7-10 among 607 likely GOP primary voters, Tuberville leads Sessions by a whopping 23 points.
Sessions finished second in the March 3 Republican primary, two points behind Tuberville. However, shortly after the primary, Trump gave his support to Tuberville.
Sessions and Tuberville face off in a July 14 runoff initially slated for March 31 but delayed to give the state of Alabama time to get a better handle on the coronavirus pandemic.
The winner of the primary will face incumbent Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL), who defeated former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore in a special election in 2017 to fill Sessions’ old seat.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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