As Donald Trump draws closer to announcing his cabinet line-up, anticipation is growing that Jeff Sessions will soon join the president-elect’s administration, leaving an open U.S. Senate seat. If that should happen, it would fall on Governor Bentley to decide who to appoint to fill the vacancy, and at least one Congressman has expressed interest in taking on the coveted role.
Rep. Mo Brooks has said that he is encouraging Senator Sessions to stay in Congress, believing that his contribution to the legislative body is too important to lose. However, if the Alabama Senator is called to serve in a higher post, Brooks said that he would vie for the seat.
“There is nothing to do until the first two questions are answered, so we’re really talking about hypothetical right now,” the congressman said. But if Sessions takes a Cabinet position in a Trump administration – Alabama’s junior senator’s name has been linked to secretary of defense, secretary of Homeland Security and national security adviser, among other positions – “then I will submit my name for appointment to Gov. Bentley at the appropriate time,” Brooks said, according to AL.com.
Speculation has begun to grow around others who may also be on Governor Bentley’s short list. Those mentioned for the spot so far include Attorney General Luther Strange, Congresswoman Martha Roby, State Senator Trip Pittman and State Senator Cam Ward.
Currently, it is not known what position in Trump’s administration Sessions will be asked to serve on, but sources close to the campaign reportedly believe he could soon head the Department of Justice, Defense, or Homeland Security.
In a recent article, the Hill bluntly stated that “Jeff Sessions will get whatever he wants inside the new administration.”
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