Patterico's Pontifications

2/9/2017

Replacement for Sessions in Senate is Strange

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 10:15 am



Luther Strange, that is. The announcement comes in this press release from the office of Alabama Governor Robert Bentley:

Governor Robert Bentley announced on Thursday the appointment of Luther Strange to Alabama U.S. Senator. Strange will fill the Senate seat vacated by U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions who was confirmed Wednesday night to serve as United States Attorney General. Previous to the appointment, Strange served as Alabama’s Attorney General, first elected to office in 2011.

“This is truly a remarkable time in our state’s history,” said Governor Bentley. “Alabama has surely been well represented by Senator Sessions, and I am confident Senator Strange will serve as a fine representative for our people. His leadership on a national level, service as a statewide elected official and long record of taking on tough federal issues are the very qualities that will make him a strong conservative Senator for Alabama.”

. . . .

“I am greatly honored and humbled to accept the appointment to Alabama’s Senate seat vacated by Senator Jeff Sessions,” said Attorney General Luther Strange. “Senator Sessions’ commitment to public service is nearly unparalleled in Alabama history and his departure from the Senate leaves tremendous shoes to fill. I pledge to the people of Alabama to continue the same level of leadership as Jeff Sessions in consistently fighting to protect and advance the conservative values we all care about.”

The announcement says: “The Special election for the U.S. Senate seat will take place in 2018.” In an interesting twist, DecisionDeskHQ explains, the Governor “is currently in the middle of a personal scandal” — and Strange “appears to be investigating the Governor.” The Governor will now be able to name Strange’s replacement as Alabama Attorney General.

Strange.

[Cross-posted at RedState and The Jury Talks Back.]

19 Responses to “Replacement for Sessions in Senate is Strange”

  1. plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  2. Very expedient and until I learned of the gubernatorial investigation angle with regard to Luther Strange, I thought Sessions had indeed been “kicked upstairs” since someone other than Mo Brooks was being promoted to take the vacant seat.

    urbanleftbehind (5eecdb)

  3. Session’s seat is next up for election in 2020, so there will be a special election in 2018, and another election in 2020.

    Strange had announced publicly that he intended to run in 2018 even if he was not nominated to the position. AG is an elected office in Alabama, so he has won state-wide. The only question is whether any of the GOP House members will give up their seats to run against him in 2018.

    shipwreckedcrew (56b591)

  4. Greetings:

    And just let me guess. He’s a white guy from Alabama.

    11B40 (6abb5c)

  5. I’d be tempted to put up that mutant sports host Paul Finebaum up for something down there. In my world, he would run the DNC instead of the jokers they are considering.

    urbanleftbehind (5eecdb)

  6. “And just let me guess. He’s a white guy from Alabama.”

    If he was black then the liberals would accept him as warmly as they have Tim Scott?

    “You are an Uncle Tom, Scott. You’re for Sessions. How does a black man turn on his own,” Scott said, reading criticisms of himself on social media. “Tim Scott … doesn’t have a shred of honor. He’s a House Negro like the one in ‘Django.’”

    He added, “I left out all the ones that used the ‘n-word.’ Just felt like that would not be appropriate.”

    http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/tim-scott-jeff-sessions-234817

    harkin (afc7a6)

  7. roll tide i guess

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  8. that’s all i got

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  9. many of the nevertrumpers are strange, too

    Cruz Supporter (102c9a)

  10. This will add a whole new meaning to the phrase “a bunch of Senators went out to look for Strange.”

    M Scott Eiland (1edade)

  11. dam M Scott – that zinged.

    Steve Malynn (b5f891)

  12. Montgomery has been forever a cesspool.

    And calling it now: The modified TRO/Stay ruling which is most likely to come down any moment now will cause a lot of confusion in the affected countries and at our points of entry. We will not hear one hint of criticism of the Court for causing the confusion.

    Ed from SFV (3400a5)

  13. 9th Circus Court jesters rule against Trump and uphold stay.

    Yoda jr. (cffabe)

  14. Appointing to the Senate the guy who is leading the investigation against him allows the Governor to replace the guy who is leading the investigation, and *probably* results in the investigation being put on the back burner.

    Honestly, I think the ethical thing for Strange to do would have been to decline the appointment.

    aphrael (3f0569)

  15. Aphrael, isn’t the Solicitor General, Andrew Brasher, or one of the career prosecutors more likely to be the lead prosecutor? Just asking.

    BobStewartatHome (71c904)

  16. ==Honestly, I think the ethical thing for Strange to do would have been to decline the appointment.==
    I think I read that Strange was planning to run for the Sessions seat anyway with little to no expected opposition. So giving him the appointment (and a little extra seniority in the senate) is usually considered a smart move even if the Gov. isn’t being investigated.

    elissa (0c5899)

  17. plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose
    Kevin M (25bbee) — 2/9/2017 @ 10:32 am

    I was thinking more “laissez les bon temps rouler”, but the thought’s the same.

    Jerryskids (3308c1)

  18. BobStewartAtHome: I know nothing about Alabama legal procedure. But I would expect that whoever is the actual lead prosecutor is answerable to the newly appointed AG. The buck stops with the AG.

    aphrael (3f0569)

  19. thehill.com/homenews/administration/318870-potential-solicitor-general-pick-withdraws-name

    narciso (d1f714)


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