Ted Cruz

Jeff was a good friend of mine, was a colleague in the Senate.

I was happy for him.

And I will tell you, in the 11 years since that conversation, I have been grateful every day since then.

that I did not go down that path.

Oh, yes, yes, yes.

And look, I made a half-hearted play on purpose.

I know how to make a full-throated play, but I thought I perceived...

the downsides of the job.

And I liked what I was doing then.

So I was like, but to be honest, the reason I made the half-hearted play is just for love of the game.

I mean, frankly, the job of attorney general, I would really enjoy that job.

It didn't make any sense.

It wasn't consistent with what I wanted to do, but it just would be fun.

In hindsight, so I will tell you nine months into it,

There was a story in The New York Times.

This would have been, I think, August of 2017.

Oh, I remember well where you're going with this.

Keep going.

And the story said Trump is thinking about firing Jeff Sessions and he's talking to Cruz about replacing him.

And look, Sessions has been a friend of mine forever.