Civil and Human Rights Coalition Condemns Sessions Committee Vote

WASHINGTON—Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in response to the Senate Judiciary Committee vote to move the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General to the full Senate:

“Senator Sessions should not be our nation’s Attorney General. He has proven that he cannot be trusted to be an independent Attorney General protecting the rights of all Americans. The Sessions brand is all over the worst actions from President Trump, including the executive order on refugees and immigrants.

Senator Sessions has built his career on demonizing immigrants, Muslims, women, refugees, people of color, and the LGBT community, and his ascension to chief law enforcement officer would mark a dark day for this country.

Before voting, the committee should have recalled Senator Sessions to explain how he would enforce the executive actions of this past week. The Senate – and the nation — should know where Senator Sessions’ loyalties lie: not with our Constitution, but with whatever executive action President Trump wants to impulsively tweet out. 

Jeff Sessions once challenged Sally Yates over whether she would stand up to a president who acts improperly. She demonstrated her answer yesterday. Senators voting for Sessions should hold him to the same standard. Instead, they have rushed through his confirmation and are serving as doormats for the Trump administration.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.