As Jeff Sessions is postured to receive a approval today as the next U.S. Attorney General, all eyes are turning to Robert Bentley. The Alabama governor is tasked with appointing the state’s next Senator, and new reports have revealed that Attorney General Luther Strange may be his top pick.
According to Politico, three “operatives” with ties to the appointment process have all confirmed Bentley’s leanings toward Strange. It is said that he plans to travel to Washington, D.C. this week and has planned to begin interviewing staffers soon.
While one operative boasted Strange’s conservative credentials, not all sources cast the move in a positive light.
“Luther is screwed either way,” the source told Politico. “If he gets the job, it looks like he cut a deal. And if he doesn’t, it looks like he’s prosecuting Bentley out of revenge.”
Attorney General Strange’s campaign manager, Michael Joffrion, said that they wouldn’t comment “until the governor makes his announcement one way or the other.”
Bentley recently announced that five others were considered finalists for the Senate seat, including Congressman Robert Aderholt, head of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs Jim Byard, State Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (R- Anniston), Rep. Connie Rowe (R- Jasper), and former Montgomery-area state lawmaker Perry Hooper Jr.
The governor had met with over 20 candidates for the position, including Reps. Mo Brooks, Martha Roby, and Gary Palmer.
Attorney General Strange announced in December that he would seek Sessions’ seat in 2018, regardless of who the governor appoints. Though his office has hinted toward an ongoing corruption probe dealing with Bentley, Strange has worked to assure voters that the opportunity would not skew his efforts.
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