Trump criticizes Sessions after Alabama Senate primary heads to a runoff

President Trump criticized Republican Alabama Senate candidate Jeff Sessions early Wednesday, asserting that his former attorney general didn’t win the state's GOP primary outright because of what Trump described as Sessions's lack of “wisdom or courage” in his handling of the Russia investigation.

“This is what happens to someone who loyally gets appointed Attorney General of the United States & then doesn’t have the wisdom or courage to stare down & end the phony Russia Witch Hunt,” Trump tweeted, just hours after news broke that Tuesday’s Senate primary in Alabama would advance to a runoff between Sessions and former college football coach Tommy Tuberville.

“Recuses himself on FIRST DAY in office, and the Mueller Scam begins!” Trump added.

Trump’s critical tweet about Sessions suggests the president may seek to boost Tuberville in the runoff election. Trump has thus far stayed out of the race, though a source familiar with the situation told The Hill last month that Trump could support Sessions’s opponent if the race advanced to a runoff. Still, Wednesday's tweet did not contain an explicit endorsement of Tuberville.

Trump repeatedly and publicly eviscerated Sessions for his decision to recuse himself from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference during his tenure as attorney general. Sessions resigned at Trump’s request the day after the 2018 midterm elections, capping a tumultuous stint atop the Justice Department. William Barr has since replaced Sessions.

Sessions was a veteran of the Senate before joining the Trump administration, having held an Alabama seat for 20 years.

He announced his Alabama Senate campaign last November and, like the other candidates in the race, has embraced Trump and worked to convince voters that he supports the president, who remains very popular among Republican voters.