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Confirmation of Sessions to Serve as U.S. Attorney General a Huge Disservice to the Nation

February 8, 2017
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It is nothing less than shameful that the U.S. Senate tonight confirmed Jeff Sessions to serve as U.S. Attorney General – our country’s chief law enforcement officer. Sessions’ record on basic civil rights is profoundly disturbing. Jeff Sessions’ vision for America hurts our children, families, communities, economy, and country.  In fact, his use of racist rhetoric and targeting of civil rights activists rightly cost him a seat on the federal bench years ago, and it should have disqualified him from serving as U.S. Attorney General now.  Because of this, the moms and dads of America made calls, sent letters, and more to urge Senators to reverse course on this nomination.
 
Make no mistake, Sessions will negatively impact our children and our communities, setting our nation back.  His record and rhetoric promote inequality and division. He has repeatedly opposed legislation that would make our nation more fair and just, including the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the Voting Rights Act and the Violence Against Women Act. He defended discrimination on the basis of religion by supporting a ban on Muslims entering the United States. He embraced policies that oppose birthright citizenship and legal immigration. This fall, he called it ‘a stretch’ to say that grabbing women by their genitals, without consent, constituted sexual assault.

Senator Sessions’ record on anti-discrimination protections, voting rights, immigrants’ rights, policing, government surveillance and more demonstrates that he is in no way qualified to head the federal agency charged with protecting and advancing justice for all children, families, and people in this country.

At this moment, and at every moment, the lawmakers who represent us should be showing our children that our nation stands up for the rights of every person to live, work, love and thrive. This confirmation undermines that message and thwarts basic fairness in this country. It was a triumph of partisan politics over the best interests of the country and a huge disservice to our nation.
 
 

 

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