On Wednesday, writing for The Washington Post, columnist Amber Phillips highlighted how former Attorney General Jeff Sessions' "humiliating" failure to be renominated for his old Senate seat in Alabama is a cautionary tale for other Republicans — and a stark illustration of why so many are afraid to even appear to disagree with President Donald Trump.
"Sessions was the first senator to endorse Trump, choosing him over other candidates like his Senate colleague Ted Cruz (R-Tex.)," wrote Phillips. "Trump was just a few months into his campaign when Sessions stood with him onstage, giving the candidate a boost of legitimacy from Washington. When Trump won the White House, Sessions was rewarded by being chosen to be Trump’s attorney general. And Sessions in return tried to relentlessly hammer home the two men’s tough-on-immigration rhetoric and policies."
"But the relationship went wrong over the question of loyalty, or rather the president’s perception of loyalty," wrote Phillips. "Trump has been humiliating Sessions for years, actually, even while Sessions was still his attorney general. The president seemed to view the prominent Cabinet position as one designed to protect him rather than to be the nation’s top law enforcement officer. Perhaps Trump was helped along by the fact that his attorney general was such a close political ally. Or perhaps Trump views key aspects of government as a means to the end of supporting him — a pattern we’ve seen since."
Sessions was ultimately fired at the end of 2018 after being frozen out of Trump's inner circle for months, and went on to lose to former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville when he ran to get his Senate seat back.
"Republicans are trying to hang onto their Senate majority, and the last thing they need is a Sessions-like battle with the president who deems some of them not loyal enough," conclude Phillips. "That’s a lesson many of them have already learned, but Sessions’ humiliating defeat drives it home."
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