Top Senate candidates are signally they will oppose Sen. Jeff Sessions‘ attorney general nomination.
The Hill reported Monday that Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, has signaled she will oppose Session’s nomination. According to the report, Murray, the No. 3 Senate Democrat in 2017, said the Senate rejected Sessions’ nomination 30 years ago because of civil rights concerns, and many of those same concerns still exist.
In a Facebook post, Murray said she has seen Sessions vote against the Violence Against Women Act, the Voting Rights Act and hate crime legislation.
“The person overseeing the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice should be absolutely committed to protecting civil rights and making sure that fighting racism, discrimination, and hate crimes remains a core mission of the Department,” she said in the Facebook post.
“Anything less than a full commitment to actively and aggressively working to promote the civil rights of everyone in our country—regardless of race, religion, disability, gender, or sexual orientation—is unacceptable to me for someone in this position,” she continued. “A Republican Senate rejected Senator Sessions thirty years ago because of concerns they had about his record on civil rights and racial issues—and many of those same concerns linger three decades later.”
The Hill reported Sessions supported the Voting Rights Act in 2006 and Eric Holder’s nomination as the first African-American attorney general. He is well-liked among his Senate colleagues, The Hill reported Republicans have signaled they hope to swiftly move his nomination through the Senate.
Democrats have pledged to give Sessions a grilling, but face an uphill battle. He only needs a simple majority to secure the position, and Republicans are expected to have 52 seats in the Senate next year. The Hill reported Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, has said he will vote for him.
