Five weeks after the end of a rocky tenure as U.S. attorney general, Jeff Sessions will speak to the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.
Sessions, vaulted into the national political spotlight because of his appointment by President Donald Trump and later as the target of withering criticism from the president, will address the chamber at its annual conference at Montgomery’s Renaissance Hotel and conference center.
Sessions resigned at Trump’s request one day after the Nov. 6 midterm election. Observers said Sessions implemented policies aligned with Trump’s priorities, such as a tough stance on illegal immigration. But Sessions fell out of favor with Trump after recusing himself from the investigation into Russian interference into the 2016 election and whether the Russians colluded with the Trump campaign.
Sessions' departure from the Trump administration has fueled speculation about what’s next for the conservative Republican, including whether he would run in 2020 for the U.S. Senate seat he left to become attorney general. Democrat Doug Jones claimed the seat in a special election a year ago.
In an interview last week with Politico, Sessions said he did not miss being in the Senate and said he planned to spend some time “clearing his brain” in Alabama before announcing a decision about his plans.
Sessions, 71, served in the Senate from 1997-2017. Before that he was attorney general of Alabama and a federal prosecutor in Alabama’s Southern District.