Senate Foreign Relations chairman won't seek re-election

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee says he will not seek re-election.

In a surprise announcement, the two-term lawmaker said that after discussions with his family, “I have decided that I will leave the United States Senate when my term expires at the end of 2018.”

Corker is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has tangled with President Donald Trump, both publicly and via Twitter. But Trump recently encouraged the senator to seek another term.

Corker criticized the president after he blamed both white nationalists and anti-racist protesters for the violence at an August rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Corker questioned whether Trump had shown the “stability” and “competence” to succeed in office. Trump responded by assailing the senator via Twitter.

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