AINSLEY EARHARDT (CO-HOST): Tell the folks at home who don't know Jeff Sessions what he's like as a person.
SEN. LUTHER STRANGE (R-AL): Well, I've had the honor and privilege of knowing Jeff for over 25 years. He's been a dear friend and a mentor. And there's no finer person in public service than Jeff Sessions, literally an Eagle Scout from a young age, and he's conducted himself with the greatest integrity of any public official I've ever met. So, America's very fortunate to have Jeff Session as attorney general, and I expect him to acquit himself very well this afternoon.
EARHARDT: All right, well, Senator, if you look at the headlines, they paint a different picture than what you're describing of the attorney general. The Huffington Post said in 2016 that he “was deemed too racist to be a federal judge. He'll now be Trump's attorney general.” Look at that headline there. Then we have a few others that we want to put up. Slate headline in 2017 says ”Jeff Sessions' denials are incomplete and unconvincing." You have MSNBC “Attorney General Jeff Sessions can't shake the Russia controversy.” New York Times headline, “Trump grows discontented with Attorney General Jeff Sessions.” And then Slate says, “What does the FBI have on Jeff Sessions?” So does the media have it wrong?
STRANGE: Absolutely the media has it wrong. And I think this is a continuation of a strategy that's been employed since Jeff's confirmation hearings. If you recall, it wasn't just a hearing about his views on the rule of law and his conservative record. It was really a personal attack on Jeff Sessions. And I think the point of that was to delegitimize not only Jeff Sessions, who's one of the finest people in public service, but also to delegitimize President Trump and his agenda because we're not talking about the things I care about and the people of Alabama care about and the country care about. Repealing and replacing Obamacare, the president's trip to Wisconsin today, which is critically important in employment, tax reform. There are so many things the American people voted for and are expecting us to do. This, to me, is a huge distraction from that mission. Having said that, I'm glad Jeff's testifying today. He will acquit himself very well. He'll answer the questions. But it's time to move on to the things people care about.
EARHARDT: A lot of people agree with you. He's testifying in public because he wants all of us to hear from his mouth the truth that he says is the truth. What do you think about that? What does it say about his character if he wants to do that?
STRANGE: It says everything about his character. He's not interested in backroom testimony or testimony in private, even if that were an option for him because he is about telling the truth. He wants the American people to hear it. And, more importantly, I think it takes out the media that you referenced, the liberal media for sure and interpreting what he might have said. Now people will get to hear it directly, and I think they'll be very impressed.
