Jeff Sessions, Doug Jones at odds over renaming military bases

Alabama Democrat, U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, and former U.S. Attorney General, U.S. Senate-hopeful Jeff Sessions went head to head online Saturday over renaming military bases named after Confederate military leaders during the Civil War.

Sessions attacked Jones first following his vote in the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) in favor of adding an amendment to a defense spending bill supporting the renaming of the bases.

“@DougJones vote to remove from all military facilities and installations the names of every soldier who fought for the Confederacy betrays the character and decency of every soldier who fought for the South in that bloody and monumental war,” tweeted Sessions tweeted.

.@DougJones vote to remove from all military facilities and installations the names of every soldier who fought for the Confederacy betrays the character and decency of every soldier who fought for the South in that bloody and monumental war…

— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) June 12, 2020

“Make no mistake, this is not a little matter. It reveals a profound deficit in his understanding of what it means to be AL’s Senator. Doug Jones’ vote seeks to erase AL’s & America’s history and thousands of Alabamians for doing what they considered to be their duty at the time.”

Make no mistake, this is not a little matter. It reveals a profound deficit in his understanding of what it means to be AL’s Senator. Doug Jones’ vote seeks to erase AL’s & America’s history and thousands of Alabamians for doing what they considered to be their duty at the time.

— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) June 12, 2020

But Jones wasn’t taking Sessions’ attack sitting back.

“Delete your account Jeff.  This came out of a Republican controlled Senate committee on a strong bi-partisan vote.  I know it’s tough for you to be on the right side of history when it comes to the Confederacy, but you should give it a try,” Jones retorted.

Delete your account Jeff. This came out of a Republican controlled Senate committee on a strong bi-partisan vote. I know it’s tough for you to be on the right side of history when it comes to the Confederacy, but you should give it a try. https://t.co/Nuhl5LW9dx

— Doug Jones (@DougJones) June 13, 2020

Sessions responded he would “never back down to the woke mob,” calling Jones’ vote an “insane attempt to erase American history.”

If you and the radical left had your way, the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument would be razed to the ground.

I will never back down to the woke mob—be it Republican or Democrat.

This insane attempt to erase American history has to end. https://t.co/gA0H796L62

— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) June 13, 2020

That’s when Jones hit back and reminded Sessions it was a bipartisan vote in the SASC.

“Ok Jeff, let’s try this one more time: the vote was a bi-partisan vote of the Republican controlled Senate Armed Services Committee and dealt only with the Confederacy and the U.S. Military,” Jones tweeted.

Ok Jeff, let’s try this one more time: the vote was a bi-partisan vote of the Republican controlled Senate Armed Services Committee and dealt only with the Confederacy and the U.S. Military. https://t.co/XThvOe7De7

— Doug Jones (@DougJones) June 13, 2020

Ultimately, Sessions got in the last word.

“Doug, you are a radical leftist, a pawn for Chuck Schumer. You voted to impeach President Trump, reject Justice Kavanaugh, voted against an end to late-term abortions, and now you join with the woke mob to erase history.  You are history,” he concluded.

Doug, you are a radical leftist, a pawn for Chuck Schumer. You voted to impeach President Trump, reject Justice Kavanaugh, voted against an end to late-term abortions, and now you join with the woke mob to erase history.

YOU are history. https://t.co/wtS63iSfGY

— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) June 13, 2020

Before the Twitter debate, Sessions issued a press release explaining his stance on the issue and why he so vehemently disagreed with Jones’ vote.

“The vote by Senator Doug Jones to remove from all military facilities and installations the names of every soldier who fought for the Confederacy betrays the character and decency of every soldier who fought for the South in that bloody and monumental war, whose courage and duty reached the highest levels, on both sides,” Sessions said in the release.

“Naming U.S. bases for those who fought for the South was seen as an act of respect and reconciliation towards those who were called to duty by the States. It was not then and is not now an affirmation of slavery. The slavery question had been settled by the war.”

Sessions is no stranger to Alabama politics. He represented the state in the U.S. Senate for 20 years before resigning to take the U.S. Attorney General appointment in President Donald Trump’s administration. Prior to that, he served as Alabama’s Attorney General. Following his resignation as U.S. Attorney General, Sessions decided to run for his old seat in the U.S. Senate, where he’s hoping to challenge Jones in the November general election.