Jeff Sessions: An Overview of the Former Attorney General

Jeff Sessions was the 84th attorney general of the United States. He served in the Trump administration between 2017 and 2018. He was the Senator who endorsed Donald Trump in his presidential campaign. He was also a strong advocate for Trump’s policies.

Early Life and Career

Sessions was born in Selma in Alabama in 1946. He graduated in 1973 with a Juris Doctor from Huntingdon College. He started his legal career in Mobile, Alabama after graduating from law school. He was elected the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama in 1981.

Reagan nominated Sessions to the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Alabama in 1986. The Senate Judiciary Committee rejected Sessions’ nomination due to racism accusations.

Political Career

Sessions was elected Attorney-General of Alabama in 1995. In 1998 and 2002, he was reelected. He was elected to U.S. Senate in 2003.

Sessions opposed immigration reform during his time in Congress and was a supporter of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election campaign. He was appointed the 84th Attorney general of the United States by President Trump in 2017.

Tenure as Attorney General

Sessions, as Attorney General, sought to implement Trump administration’s agenda regarding immigration, criminal justice and religious liberty. Sessions was a strong supporter for the controversial travel ban and advocated for stricter immigration policies.

Sessions also implemented several measures to fight the opioid crisis. This included funding more drug treatment and prevention programs. He worked to reduce violent crimes and strengthen federal laws’ enforcement.

Resignation and Legacy

At President Trump’s request, Sessions resigned in 2018 as Attorney General. The president was critical of Sessions’s resignation from his position as Attorney General after he resigned from the Russian interference investigation in the 2016 elections.

Sessions’ work on criminal justice reform was widely praised, despite his controversial tenure. Sessions was also recognized for his efforts in reducing the incidence of violent crime in the United States.

Conclusion

While Jeff Sessions was controversial as Attorney General, he was also known for helping to reduce violent crime as well as to implement the Trump administration’s agenda on immigration and criminal justice reform. He left behind both criticism and praise.