Wednesday afternoon, Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned from his post at the request of President Donald Trump.
This comes after former Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) called on Sessions to run against Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) in 2020 and reclaim his old U.S. Senate seat.
“Since the day I was honored to be sworn in as Attorney General of the United States, I came to work at the Department of Jusitce every day determined to do my duty and serve my country,” Sessions said in the letter. “I have done so to the best of my ability, working to support the fundamental legal processes that are the foundation of justice.”
He continued, “The team we assembled embraced your directive to be a law and order Department of Justice. We prosecuted the largest number of violent offenders and firearm defendants in our country’s history. We took on transnational gangs that are bringing violence and death across our borders and protected national security. We did our part to restore immigration enforcement. We have targeted the opioid epidemic by prosecuting doctors, pharmacists, and anyone else who contributes to the crisis with new law enforcement tools and determination. And we have seen results.”
Sessions then applauded the “fabulous” law enforcement officers across the nation, reaffirming that he “will always have their backs.”
“Most importantly, in my time as attorney general, we have restored and upheld the rule of law,” Sessions wrote.
This echoes Yellowhammer News’ reporting from Sessions’ speech in Hoover in September, when the attorney general seemed at peace with eventual departure and proud of his job performance.
“Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. President,” Sessions said to close his letter.
It has been noted that the resignation letter was undated, so Trump could have been holding onto it for weeks or even months, waiting until after the midterms to accept it.
….We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.