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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions lavished praise on what he called President Donald Trump's policy accomplishments Tuesday but added that he's backing away from his former boss's favorite social media platform.
Listing achievements that he said included improving the economy, fighting crime and supporting police officers, Sessions said he was proud of his time running the Justice Department.
But more than a month after he was forced out of his job as the nation's top law enforcement official after a tumultuous tenure in which he was repeatedly maligned by Trump, Sessions said he was "attempting to chill out a bit."
"You can be sure I don't follow tweets as closely as I used to," Sessions said to laughter and applause.
Sessions, a former U.S. attorney and Alabama state attorney general, said he knew running the Justice Department involved making decisions that could create controversy.
"This very public adventure, I've got to say, exceeded my expectations," Sessions said. He infuriated Trump by recusing himself from the Justice Department's investigation of alleged Russian meddling on behalf of Trump in the 2016 election.
But at times Sessions sounded like he was still part of Trump's team, repeatedly using the word "we" to describe things going on in Washington. He once invoked Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again."
The former U.S. senator didn't say whether he might try to regain the seat now held by Alabama Democratic Sen. Doug Jones.
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