Statement from Demos Vice President of Policy and Legal Strategies Brenda Wright Urging Senate to Reject Sessions as Attorney-General
New York, NY – Today, Brenda Wright, Vice President of Policy and Legal Strategies at Demos, a national, non-partisan public policy organization working for an America where we all have an equal say in our democracy and an equal chance in our economy, calls upon the United States Senate to reject the confirmation of Senator Jefferson B. Sessions (R-AL) as Attorney General of the United States.
“Senator Sessions’ decades-long record in public life reveals a pattern of hostility to the goal of an inclusive democracy that recognizes the fundamental dignity and worth of every individual, and to the very civil rights laws that he would be responsible for enforcing, which disqualifies him from serving in the office of Attorney General.
“The unprecedented and unconstitutional executive orders issued by President Donald Trump since his inauguration have dramatically underscored the importance of the role of the Attorney General in exercising independent judgment and serving as a check on actions by the President that threaten to violate the Constitution and laws of our country. Unfortunately, the record establishes that Senator Sessions is not the person we need to exercise independent judgment as a check on a president who has already shown blatant disrespect for the rule of law in the short time since his inauguration.
“Senator Sessions also has maligned the Voting Rights Act of 1965; this, too, is disqualifying, given the Attorney General’s role as the top enforcer of federal voting rights protections.
“Demos is also particularly troubled by Senator Sessions’ record on immigrants and immigration, and his stated desire to defy the U.S. Constitution in order to carry out his anti-immigrant agenda. Senator Sessions has a record that displays unacceptable bias against immigrants which disqualifies him from serving as Attorney General.
“We urge the U.S. Senate to reject the nomination of Senator Sessions as U.S. Attorney General.”
Demos previously submitted a letter to the Judiciary Committee on January 9, 2017 noting its opposition to the nomination of Senator Sessions as Attorney General.
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Contact: Kate Berner, [email protected]
