Senate Holds Confirmation Hearings for Trump's Attorney General Nominee Jeff Sessions

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Jan 10, 2017

Senate Holds Confirmation Hearings for Trump's Attorney General Nominee Jeff Sessions

The Senate will hold hearings today on whether or not to confirm President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions for the position of Attorney General.

According to The Hill, Sessions is a controversial figure, and some Democrats will likely try to block his confirmation.

Sessions is known for the tough line he has taken with immigration policies. Sessions and the President-elect have found much common ground on the issue of illegal immigration and their proposed policies to combat it. Democrats will likely look to get Sessions to soften his views on deportation of illegal immigrants.

The issue of Sessions’ alleged racist comments from 1986 will also likely be brought up. Sessions has been accused of calling the NAACP and the ACLU un-American and even Communist-inspired organizations. He also allegedly called a white lawyer defending a black plaintiff “a disgrace to his race.”

Sessions has denied saying these things, but has admitted that during that 1986 confirmation hearing, “I am loose with my tongue on occasion.”

There will likely be protests surrounding Sessions’ confirmation hearing. Some Democrats such as Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown have already said they will oppose Sessions’ confirmation, and some civil rights groups have urged more Democrats to oppose Sessions, claiming that the Attorney General must have an exemplary record on civil rights if he is to defend them.

Many, however, believe Sessions has the qualifications needed for the job as he was the former attorney general in his home state of Alabama. Despite the oppostion, he also has ample support.

A group of African-American pastors has even traveled to Washington D.C. in support of Sessions’ confirmation. One of these pastors, the Rev. Dean Nelson, Director of African-American Outreach for the Family Research Council’s Watchmen on the Wall added that the charges of racism aimed at Sessions are unfounded.

“Americans are living in a toxic climate where the serious charge of racism is carelessly leveled against anyone with whom the left disagrees. We are here today to make it perfectly clear that this attack against Senator Jeff Sessions is baseless, and that he is more than qualified to be the next Attorney General,” stated Nelson, according to Stream.org.

Sessions needs 51 votes to be confirmed.

 

Photo courtesy: flickr.com

Publication date: January 10, 2017



Senate Holds Confirmation Hearings for Trump's Attorney General Nominee Jeff Sessions