President Donald Trump pushed forward with his campaign to throttle his former attorney general's ambitions on Tuesday night.
The president endorsed Tommy Tuberville over Jeff Sessions in Alabama's Republican Senate primary runoff. Tuberville, a former college football coach, aims to deny Sessions' bid to win back a Senate seat he left to become Trump's top law enforcement official in 2017.
Sessions recused himself from the Justice Department's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The president never forgave him as special counsel Robert Mueller's probe hovered over his administration for nearly two years.
In a pair of tweets Tuesday, Trump called the former Auburn University football coach a "REAL LEADER" who "will be a great Senator for the people of Alabama."
"Coach Tommy Tuberville, a winner, has my Complete and Total Endorsement. I love Alabama!" he wrote
Tuberville instantly capitalized on the president's endorsement. His campaign tweeted an appeal for donations that implored supporters: "Help me finish what the President started and fire Jeff Sessions on March 31st."
Sessions brushed off Trump's endorsement. In a tweeted statement early Wednesday, he said Trump "can endorse anyone he chooses" but "I intend to take my case directly to the people of Alabama." He added that he believes in the "principles" Trump had advocated, has "always fought for them" and will "continue to do so."
In the state's Republican primary a week ago, Tuberville garnered about 33% of the vote, compared with 31% for Sessions. It sent the two candidates to a runoff on March 31 to decide who will face Democratic Sen. Doug Jones in November. He won a 2017 special election to replace Sessions.
Trump reacted to the primary results by gloating over Sessions' second-place finish. He tweeted that "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 privately and publicly thrashed his ex-attorney general, both while he was in office and after he left. He called Sessions "beleaguered." Trump reportedly referred to him as "Mr. Magoo," a bumbling cartoon character with poor eyesight.
After entering Alabama's Senate race last year, Sessions still heaped praise on the president.
Republicans have their best chance to flip a Senate seat in Alabama as they try to hold their majority in the chamber in November. Tuberville leads Sessions in the runoff by a dozen percentage points, according to a Cygnal poll released this week.