By Chip Brownlee
Alabama Political Reporter
MONTGOMERY—Only days after many of Alabama’s Republican Congressional Delegation abandoned Donald Trump after recordings of extremely lewd comments dating back to 2005 surfaced, Alabama’s junior senator, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R), is sticking with his presidential candidate.
“Nobody’s character is perfect,” Session told CBS News. “This is a wrong thing. I do not like this kind of talk and I don’t think most Americans do, but he operates in a world of media and beauty pageants and that kind of thing.”
Recordings of Donald Trump bragging about sexually assaulting women were published Friday by The Washington Post. In the un-aired videos from NBC’s Access Hollywood, Trump said he could do anything he wanted to women because he was a star.
“I’ve got to use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her,” Trump said in the video. “You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful [women] — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.”
“And when you’re a star, they let you do it. … You can do anything. … Grab them by the p—y.”
Most people agree that Trump’s language describes sexual assault, kissing women without their permission and grabbing their genitalia without consent. However, Session told The Weekly Standard that he wasn’t sure it is sexual assault.
“I don’t characterize that as sexual assault,” the senator said. “I think that’s a stretch. I don’t know what he meant.”
On Monday night Al.com reported Session had provided the media outlet with a statement saying the characterization of his comments to The Weekly Standard were “completely inaccurate.” (His office did not provide the copy to APR)
Billy Bush, an Access Hollywood host at the time, with whom Trump was conversing, was suspended from his current job on NBC’s Today Show. Even as Bush faces suspension for only playing along with Trumps so-called “locker-room banter,” Trump continues to run for the most important office in the land.
Sessions — who helped Donald Trump write his immigration policy, and reportedly helped him with debate preparation — said he will continue to support Donald Trump because he doesn’t trust Hillary Clinton.
“You have to decide if this is disqualifying … or not,” he said. “People have to make up their own mind about that. … This candidate got more votes in the Republican Primary than any candidate in history. He is bringing in new people to our party.”
Sessions said Trump would defend religious values.
“Do you want somebody who will defend religious values, will appoint justices to the Court who will defend religious values,” Sessions asked. “He’s pro-life, he’s for less taxes, less regulation, less government. … Those things are far more important.”
On Saturday, Rep. Martha Roby abandoned Trump and urged him to drop out and allow a more respectable and experience Republican run for the presidency. Later in the day, Rep. Bradley Byrne and Gov. Robert Bentley also said they wouldn’t vote for the nominee of their party.
