“I think this is also behavior, um, that I wonder if people have been out drinking tonight"

According to McGovern’s office, the congressman had not been drinking and Sessions called to apologize the next morning. Sessions pushed back to reporters late Thursday, saying that he spoke to McGovern that morning, but failed to confirm that he apologized for the remarks.

“I don’t know what there is to apologize about,” Sessions told reporters, “I mean, I’m not trying to say, ‘No, I didn’t apologize to him,’ that was not the discussion.”

Sessions said he hasn’t seen the tape of the late night exchange, but when reminded by reporters that he had intimated that McGovern had been drinking, he denied it. “No I did not [suggest that he was drinking],” Sessions said, “I’m not trying to intimate anything, I’m trying to say Jim was having a tough night and I’m sorry he did.”