Ted Cruz

But if you wanted to talk to me about this, I'd be willing to have that conversation.

We did talk about it.

We had a good conversation.

The president made the decision to go with Jeff Sessions.

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.