Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is endorsing Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general pick.
CNN first reported that Rice, an Alabama native who served under George W. Bush, sent a letter Monday to Sen. Chuck Grassley praising Sessions. Rice calls him a “friend” and someone she admired “greatly.”
“He is a man who is committed to justice and knows that law and order are necessary to guarantee freedom and liberty,” she wrote.
Rice also noted that Sessions had worked to improve the lives of Alabamians who suffered “prejudice and injustice against the descendants of slaves.”
An endorsement from Rice, the first African-American female to serve as U.S. Secretary of State, could help Sessions considerably in his confirmation hearings, which begin Tuesday. Sessions, an early endorser of Trump, is likely to have an uphill battle due to old allegations of racism.
Rice added that Sessions was instrumental in the effort to recognize Rosa Parks, one of her “personal heroes,” with the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. “I know that Sen. Sessions will uphold the laws of our great country and will work to ensure that every person here in the United States is given the voice that is deserved.”
