They are the absolute highest level. I think theyre going to do very well. Theres some concern about Jeff Sessions in particular. No, i think he is going to do great. High quality man. Confirmation hearings begin tomorrow for senator Jeff Sessions. Trumps choice for attorney general and retired general john kelly who is picked for Homeland Security secretary. On wednesday hearings get underway for secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson. Transportation secretary secretary nominee elaine chow along with congressman mike pompeo for cia director and education secretary nominee betsy devoss. Thursdays hearings include retired general james mattis for defense secretary, wilbur ross for commerce secretary, and dr. Ben carson for hud secretary. Also this week president elect trump holds his first News Conference in six months. He is expected to talk about separating himself from his huge business empire. He is sure to face serious questions about russian hacking during the election. President elect trumps nominees face tough questions and sbenls scrutiny from senate democrats. We asked trump Senior Advisor former Campaign Manager kellyanne conway, now how theyre now preparing for the hearings. 2,600 questions fielded by our nominees and our des ig nats, and we met with 87 u. S. Senators, including 37 democrats. We like to meet with the remaining democrats. Jessica, who are some of the nominee that is are likely to face the most scrutiny . The intense spotlight will be bearing down on nominees throughout the week, but really the once to watch will start with potential fireworks at 9 30 tomorrow morning when alabama senator Jeff Sessions goes before the Senate Judiciary committee for his role. The Judiciary Committee actually the same committee that 30 years ago actually pushed back on his federal judgeship chances amid allegations of racial bias. Now, of course, other people to watch this week include on wednesday Rex Tillerson and secretary of state. Tillerson could come under scrutiny for having no government experience, and also harsh questions about his ties to russian president vladimir putin. Of course, tillerson served as ceo for exxonmobil for the past ten years, and also betsy devoss for education secretary. She, of course, has no education experience on thursday well be watching ben carson and his nomination for secretary of housing and urban development. Carson, of course, with no Previous Agency experience. He is also criticized Government Programs in the past, so a lot happening this week on clel. A lot of names, a lot of intense scrutiny. Can you update our viewers. Ivanka trumps president , he will be become a Senior Advisor in the white house to the president. Is that right . Thats right. Thats something that weve been long expecting. Of course, kushner, has been a top advisor to donald trump throughout this election cycle. He played a large role in getting donald trump elected. Also pennsylvania, wisconsin. Of course, theres been questions about some of the conflicts of interest or the nepotism, antinepotism laws, and, of course, we know that Jared Kushner has been working with will measure hail, the law firm, to see how he can get around some of those concerns, but, of course, we know now that not being a big concern, they say Jared Kushners lawyers saying that those antinepotism laws only apply at agencies and not within the white house itself. Jared kushner, we know he and ivanka have secured that house down in d. C. , and now Jared Kushner will be in the white house continuing to advise his fatherinlaw, the president elect donald trump. He will have a formal position in the white house. Thank you very much, Jessica Snyder reporting for us. The fireworks could begin it at the first hearing for trumps attorney general nominee. Senator Jeff Sessions has been actively preparing for his senate session. Were going to tell you more about that in a little while. The alabama senator was elected back in 1996. He also served as u. S. Attorney and attorney general for the state of alabama. Sessions was dividend a federal judgeship back in 1986 after allegations of racism surfaced, allegations that he has always denied. As our chief Political Correspondent dana bash reports, those old allegations, though, could play a role at the upcoming hearing. I have a man who is respected by everybody here. Jeff sessions. Donald trumps nominee for attorney general was the first u. S. Senator to endorse him. This is a movement. Look whats happening. The alabama republican gave the new york reality tv star credibility with the gop base. Jefferson session iii is a rock ridge conservative. An eagle scout from the heart of the south who was an Alabama Attorney general. 30 years ago when he was nominated to be a federal judge by ronald reagan, democrats blocked him. Sessions talked with us about it in 2009. It was not a pleasant event. I got to tell you. It was really so heart breaking. He was accused of racial insensitivity, calling a black lawyer boy and civil Rights Groups like the naacp unamerican, which he denied. I am not a racist. I am not insensitive to blacks. He was hounded by then senator joe biden. They may have taken positions that i consider to be adverse to the security interest of the United States. Does that make them unamerican . No, sir, it does not. Does that make the positions unamerican . No. That was not fair. Those were false charges and distortions of anything that i did, says and it really was not. I never had those kiefr views, and i was characterured in a way that wasnt me. Now, the son of civil rights activists whom sessions prosecuted for voter fraud is coming to his defense. I dont think he is a racist. Albert turner jr. Says he has worked extensively with sessions who was elected senator 20 years ago. I talked to senator sessions about historical black colleges and trying to get historical black colleges some assistance and funding. He listened. Susan collins, a moderate republican, was elected to the senate the same year as sessions. You dont agree with him on a lot of issues. We dont agree on a host of issues. Still, she plans to introduce sessions at his confirmation hearing for attorney general. I dont know what happened more than 30 years ago, but i do know that Jeff Sessions sathat have worked with in the past 20 years. I want a person of integrity and experience, and Jeff Sessions has all of those characteristics and qualities. Sessions spent two decades in the senate fighting for conservative causes, but did team up on a bill with this highranking democrat. You worked with him on legislation. This was like a miracle. Filibuster dick durbin was trying to reduce the penalty for crack cocaine, which was 100 times higher than powder cocaine. Then he saw sessions in the senate gym. We both showered and put our clothes on and we were about to leave, and i said, jeff, give me a number. If you cant do one to one and i wont go for 100 to one, what is it . It was 18. I cant tell you why, but it was 18. We agreed where. Still, durbin says he disagrees with sessions on most legal issues, which makes it hard to support him for attorney general. Other democrats sessions got to know in the gym agrees where. I said if he made you head of the trade representative, we would be working together very well. We can kibitz in the gym. You keep these positions on immigration, you keep these positions on civil rights and voting rights, its going to be very hard for me to support you. Dana bash, cnn, washington. Lets get to more on the confirmation hearings and what we should expect when they all start tomorrow. Joining us now from capitol hill, Kentucky Republican senator rand paul. Senator, thanks very much for joining us. Thanks for having me. Youre on the Foreign Relations committee. Youre on the health and Homeland Security committee. All of them are going to be hosting confirmation hearings this week. Lets start with your colleague senator Jeff Sessions for attorney general of the United States. Do you think he will be confirmed and will you vote to confirm him . Yes on both fronts. I think its unfair for people and it might be hurtful for people to say youre a racist when theres no evidence that he has ever been racially insensitive. I think its a slander and very unfair for people to try to do that to someone, and i think he is going to do fine in the confirmation process. Have you spoken with him . What is your sense of that confirmation . Are you likely to vote yea in support of his confirmation. I think he is an impressive individual. I think he will always have americas interest first in negotiating with any country, and i think he will negotiate from a position of strength with the leadership of donald trump. In that sense, yes, im favorably disposed. I will still ask questions during the public hearing because i think public answers are very important. I will say does he think regime change throughout the middle east has made us safer or has made us less safe. I will ask these questions because i think its very important that we learn from the past couple of decades particularly as we embark on the next couple of decades in the middle east. Does it bother you that he has had a Good Relationship with putin of russia . In fact, received an award from putin personally . Well, you think so senator barber in indiana. A lot of people have gotten that award, and i think bh you are in business, your job is to be diplomatic, to try to get the best advantage for your company. In some ways a business transaction is somewhat like diplomacy. You have to realize that your opponent across the table is an adversary, and you are also trying to find an agreement at which both parties can come away from the table feeling as if they won. No, i think he will be a skillful negotiator and a good diplomat. I want somebody who believes that war is the last answer, so in that sense he is a good pick. I want you to clarify exactly where you stand and based on your conversation with donald trump where he stands on repealing and replacing obama care. There is a plan in place to replace it, and you said that donald trump is with you on that. Where exactly is he and where are you . As a physician as an individual and a patient, im opposed to obama care, and its been a disaster for our country, and i will vote for repeal. I d think you should vote on replacement the same day. Im putting together a bill. Its virtually completed. It will be full of the consensus opinions on replacement. We hope people save so they can help buy insurance floor Health Savings accounts, and we help individuals who associate from groups of individuals to Health Association plans so they can spread their risk and get a cheaper product. If you put those three market reforms together as well as some tax changes, i think you can get something that virtually every republican agrees to, but would also help soften the blow as we go from obama care to a more market or yepted type of industry again. Youve heard a lot of Republican Leaders say, yes, you can quickly repeal it, but it could take six months, could take as much as a year to come up with this specific plan to replace it. In the phone conversation that you had with donald trump, what was the impression he left you . Where does he stand . Well, i completely disagree with those who say we either dont have a plan or have to wait. There are about 50 replacement bills that have been out there for years. Congressman tom price who is up for a cabinet position. About half the bills are his. There are consensus on at least ten, 15 different bills in congress. I think consensus is there. The bills have been written. Lets put them together and have a vote on replacement. With regard to the president , all i can say is he called and said he agreed with me. We ought to vote on replacement the same day we vote on repeal. Its because a lot of the republicans they want to vote to repeal it on day one. They dont want to wait at all. They say, you know, well have plenty of time being to up with plans in the months that follow. Youre totally opposed to that. And what i hear you saying is that the president elect is totally opposed that as well. We have a replacement plan. We have 50 different bills out there. What i keep hearing people say senator, senator, they need one plan. Exactly. If you have 50 plans, you got to put the best of it together and say the Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell says that can take six months. No, i disagree completely. We have them out there, and there is a consensus position on the vast majority of what republicans do for replacement. Were putting it together, and we will put it forward. I will do everything in my power to have a vote on it the day we repeal obama care. I not a vote on replacement and well see where i get with that, but theres a growing moment wrum yum both among Senate Republicans and among House Republicans that we should vote on replacement the same day we vote on repeal. Will you in the legislation that you have to put it in legislation, will it require 6 0 votes . In other words, when democrats oppose the new plan, will they be able to filibuster requiring 60 votes . For part of it, yes. I think you can do some replacement within the reconciliation, budget rules. You can do some replacement. There needs to be a separate replacement bill. Thats what im working on. It will be out within two days. Within two days ill have a bill. We will vote on both the same day. Thanks very much nor joining us. Thanks. Coming up, will democrats dig in and delay the nomination hearing from many of Donald Trumps nominees. Democratic senator chris kuhns will sit in on several of those hearings. He is standing by live. He will join us right after this. Giving you more time for what matters most. team sing safelite repair, safelite replace. There are not only 11 dasz until the inauguration for president elect donald trump. The real action starts tomorrow with the first two of a series of cabinet confirmation hearings before the u. S. Senate. Democrats have promised no free passes to the trump picks, but Incoming White House press Secretary Sean Spicer has this advice for the senate. They can aimlessly because of the uncertainty created by a lack of continuity of government or they can enjoy the timely and make sure the president is ready to govern on day one. Our expectations of this cabinet will receive broad bipartisan support throughout. Wilmington, delaware, democratic senator chris kuhns, the Foreign Relations committee. Senator, thanks very much for joining us. Thank you, wolf. Do you believe at least some of the confirmation hearings scheduled to begin tomorrow, wednesday, thursday, should be delayed and if yes, which ones . I do think, wolf that, we need to make sure that every one of Donald Trumps nominees completes their fbi background check and their office of government ethics forms before we proceed with any confirmation vote. Weve never seen a cabinet so full of billionaires in american history, and the complexity and the reach of the potential conflicts of interest for many of the members of Donald Trumps cabinet deserve thorough and fair consideration. We also have hearings this week that ill be participating in for two different gentlemen, mr. Tillerson, for secretary of state, and senator sessions for attorney general who have complex Public Records and difficult public positions that i think deserve a full and fair hearing. Im going to be pushing back on our moving forward with eight different confirmation hearings this week. The same week that were also going to be voting on the budget reconciliation and the same week that donald trump is at least allegedly going to faebl hold the press conference where he will radio veal how he plans to deal with his conflicts of interest. What would be wrong with starting the process. Let the committees start the confirmation process, but make sure before the full senate votes the fbi background check, the full vetting, all of those reports are in place before all 100 senators vote. Why not get the process started right away . I do think we can get the process started right away. Thats why i will be participating fell in an all day hearing reviewing senator sessions backgrounds on a wide range of issues. I spent the weekend reading through a 300 Page Background briefing meco. I know senator sessions well. We belong to a weekly prayer breakfast. We work out in the gym occasionally together, and he is a pleasant man, and i have given him a fair review. There are many areas, many areas, wolf, where his actions, his votes, and his record from Civil Liberties to civil rights, torture, to criminal justice reform, to immigration are starkly different from my own, and i look forward to a full hearing tomorrow and the following day of senator sessions record. On wednesday youll be in the senate Foreign Relations committee in that hearing when the secretary of state choice Rex Tillerson appears before your committee. Do you need answers from him a