Jeff Sessions is going to take a shot at resuming the Senate career he abandoned for an ill-fated stint in the Trump administration, insiders say. Sources tell the New York Times and NPR that the Republican, who served in the Senate for 20 years before becoming President Trump's attorney general for 21 months, plans to file paperwork for a Senate run in Alabama before the Friday deadline. Sessions, who was forced out of the administration, repeatedly clashed with the president after recusing himself from the Russia investigation. A source tells the Times that after recent reports that Sessions was planning a comeback, Trump warned Sessions through allies that he would publicly attack him if he decided to run.
In the March 3 Republican primary, Sessions will compete against a crowded GOP field that includes Roy Moore, who lost the 2017 special election to replace Sessions after sexual misconduct allegations surfaced. Rep. Bradley Byrne, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville, and state Rep. Arnold Mooney are also vying to unseat Democratic Sen. Doug Jones. One of NPR's sources says Sessions, who will appear on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show Thursday night, is "definitely acting alone," without the support of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell or the Senate Republican campaign operation. (More Jeff Sessions stories.)