Transcripts For MSNBCW MSNBC Live With Craig Melvin 20170111

By the kremlin, an important point as well in the way donald trump painted his relationship with Intelligence Agencies in this country visavis how it could be taken overseas. Right now is the start of the 1 00 p. M. Hour here in the east. Imagine the role of this man right now. This is a live picture in front of the Senate Foreign relations committee, and that is the ceo of exxonmobil, a Multinational Company so large, while its said they cant change the weather, they can forecast it. They have their own weather bureau, a sprawling organization of 70,000 employees. Rex tillerson is the nominee to be our next Secretary Of State, a job offer that came to him. Its been said in the Public Domain in part because of his relationship with russia, because of his relationship withVladimir Putin. Imagine all of this in light of the News Conference we just witnessed, in light of what donald trump said and didnt say about russia and putin, in light of what donald trump said about u. S. Intelligence agencies, here is a part of what we just witnessed this last hour. The Democratic National committee was totally open to be hacked. They did a very poor job. They could have had hacking defense. President putin and russia put out a Statement Today that this fake news indeed fake news. They said it totally never happened. Now somebody would say oh, of course hes going to say that. I respected the fact that he said that. If he did have something they would have released it and glad to release it. If putin likes donald trump, guess what, folks . Thats called an asset, not a liability. Do you honestly believe that hillary would be tougher on putin than me . I think it was disgraceful, disgraceful that the Intelligence Agencies allowed any information that turned out to be so false and fake out. I think its a disgrace. And i say that and i say that, and thats something that nazi germany would have done and did do. I have no deals. I have no loans, and i have no dealings. We could make deals in russia very easily if. We wanted to. I just dont want to because i think that would be a conflict. Kristen welker was inside the room. She is now outside trump tower, on what can be a perilous stretch of fifth avenue in new york. Andrea mitchell in the equally perilous confines of the u. S. Senate in washington, standing by to talk to us. Kristen, im still going through the quotes on, what, 15 to 20 topics from that News Conference. What couldnt we see from our vantage point, watching on television that perhaps would assist our understanding of what a High Wire Act and high tension event this was . Reporter well two things, brian. One, of course, this is the first News Conference hes had in 168 days. So you had reporters, were always trying to get our questions in. But the number of questions, the range of questions i think was so expansive because there was souclost time to make up for, and i think that that contributed to some of the tension that you saw unfold there, and then of course you had these developments overnight, this reporting on russia that the President Elect dismissed outright, and that caused him to again attack his intelligence communities right off of the top. And i guess i would make one more point, brian, there are a lot of questions that went unanswered on his Intelligence Community. Does he trust them . Does he trust his intelligence officials . I tried to pin him down on that at the very end of the News Conference and he sort of dodged exchange that he had with cnns jim acosta, when he attacked cnn for their reporting, and jim said, let me at least get a question in, and he wouldnt allow it. Thats really extraordinary, brian. Ive been to a number of News Conferences and youve been to a number of president ial News Conferences and never really seen that type of tension before. Again i would just underscore, this is the first News Conference hes had since july so theres a lot of questions we didnt get to, like isis, like israel and the middle east, so it all set the stage for fireworks. Kristen welker thanks and thanks to the mta for parking a bus behind you during our conversation. Andrea mitchell is one of the people who has us beat in terms of our combined attendance at president ial News Conference. Andrea, i just cant ask you in enough ways to sum up, if this isnt a President Elect at war with the Intelligence Community, such a vital arm of government when youre a president , the Intelligence Community which is both vendor and client, to overseas countries, to private organizations, i dont want to see what war is, but try to sum up what the impact, the concussion this is going to cause in washington. Well, concussions a great word because there are concussion bombs. This is a concussion bomb. Brian, he compared the Intelligence Community pretty directly on twitter and at his News Conference used the same analogy to nazi germany. Youre talking about Men And Women, thousands and thousands of them here and overseas who are often covert, and even those who are not have to make considerable sacrifices in their lives, not for great amounts of money. Many of them have died. Their stars are on the wall at langley. Theyve been expanded in the last 15 years since 9 11, big expansion perhaps too much bureaucracy, that could be addressed. Lot of critics internally and externally think that that is the real focus that he should be looking at once he gets into office but to raise that question, to talk about these leaks i think a lot of people, including myself Last Night On Thir with you, questioned why there was that addendum of what most likely is unverified information that was attached to the classified intelligence brief. So those are the kinds of questions that you can ask but to compare them to nazi, germany, that is really escalating this war. This was the first grudging acknowledgment that russia was behind the hacking but again in the next sentence he compared it to the office of Personnel Management hacking 22 Million People by china. Well that did happen two years ago, there was a lot of attention. I was on the air a lot on nightly news and msnbc on the today show, we covered that story. The difference between what russia did and what china does, what north korea does, what we do, our country to, you know, foreign countries, allies and adversaries alike, ive covered stories of us hacking the french and the japanese over commercial contracts, and whether airbus and boeing get contracts. All these kinds of things happen every day. The difference here in the russian hacking which was the Consensus Agreement of 17 agencies, it was weaponized. It was drnted. Drnted under order by Our Own Exclusive Reporting by Vladimir Putin and confirmed by the report that was released to wikileaks, Whether Wikileaks was winning or not winning, wikileaks distributed it and distributed this harmful information, a lot of which could have had an impact on voting and donald trump kept refers to wikileaks during the campaign. He did it again today, in fact. Look at the horrible things that john podesta said from wikileaks about hillary clinton, his characterization, not mine. The point is he keeps pointing to wikileaks the conveyor of stolen information hacked by russia and leaked during the campaign and this is the offense which may even be a criminal offense in some regards. We dont know whats been investigated. There have been hints of an investigation. So its just amazing, and hes going to have to rely, i heard chuck todd say he has to rely on the same Intelligence Agencies and their career people. Doesnt matter who is at the head. Its a big superliner to turn around. Youre going to have to rely on the analysis of those Men And Women. It takes a long time to train them. Youre not going to have them all, you know, leaving immediately. If north korea is close to launching an icbm that can hold a Nuclear Weapon and reach the continental United States, he has to not only persuade the American People but our allies about the veracity of that intelligence and what he is doing now arguably is destroying the credibility of american intelligence at home and abroad. Thats a serious and important point you make there at the end. The only place youre going to learn abou the moves north korea is makings the very same Intelligence Agencies that were in for such a drubbing today. In our studio here we have ali velshi, we have katy tur, we also have standing by a guy who has been so patient with us, steve clemmons, editor at large for the atlantic. Steve, where to begin . What was your lead story from that event . I think the lead story is two things, is that as you were showing earlier the Rex Tillerson exchange with the members of the Senate Foreign relations committee, many people say the intelligence was seemingly soft on some of the issues. I was struck by how hard he was in comparison to donald trump, so the taking of crimea was a taking. He criticized the Obama Administration for not putting in enough defensive weapons and not putting in enough support. It was a sort of hard edged assessment, and that it was highly unlikely, he said, that the United States would become friends with russia, and that just stands out as an obvious contrast with the tilt and tone of donald trump even with the kinds of things saying maybe we wont be friends with Vladimir Putin and others, but donald trump continues to sort of largely publicly hug that Vladimir Putin and hold that out, so ive got a divide with a Press Conference going on at the same time as the Senate Hearing between the likely Secretary Of State, potential Secretary Of State and the President Elect, and that stood out. The other thing thats gotten almost no attention was that he nominated and talked about david shulke, Veterans Affairs Obama Appointee. He will be the first Obama Appointee if confirmed in the trump cabinet. That may not compare to all the other news out there but that is interesting. Indeed. Hes an d. , and youre right, he will be a holdover from adstration t administration. Also a very tough job to fill among all the cabinet agencies, but steve, imagine this. What youre talking about, the way donald trump treated and handled all things russian, from putin to russia in general, this was all in the context of a News Conference that was designed in part to quash and criticize what they saw as Scurrilous Reporting Tying Donald Trump to russia. I think what David Ignatius said before is that the hostility really between the Intelligence Agencies and donald trump didnt get much help from this exchange. Theres an opportunity with this call that donald trump has made for the first 90 days hell get a report from the dni, the director of national intelligence, and the cia that strengthens our hand in the hacking arena, but broadly when you look at it, donald trump thus far goes to extraordinary lengths not to put russia on the spot, and that has put him at odds with a lot, not just the Intelligence Community, but a lot of national, Republican National security stalwarts, and if there was going to be a break between the legislative department and the executive over something big, its over these issue, and his dedication to kind of continuing really this crisis, not between democrats and republicans, but between republicans and republicans is i dont know what to call it. Its impressive, Donald Trumps willingness to continue to kind of run on that edge where his own credibility is going to be held in doubt by many of the top intelligence people in the country, but also the lindsey grahams, john mccains, marco rubios and many other that will matter to him on a whole variety of Key Executive Decisions in the world. Steve, finally, as someone to whom the printed word is so important, fake news. Someone spent months making fake news a thing, an entity, fairly vibrant entity and now its a bucket into which stories one doesnt like can be thrown. Reminds me of the old days the founding of the republic. Bill sapphire wrote a clever his Oshlg Torqual Novel called scandal mongers. He talked about the early pamphleteeres who invented stories that defamed leading figures and theyd fight the pages out there. Im reminded of that era in American History weve come back into that as well. Its important we in journalism maintain critical distance and objectivity in what we do and find a way to present that as the alternative to this raif of fake news that seems to be proliferating on both sides, if there is, are two wils its there. This era may test us all. Steve thank you very much. Always a pleasure to hear from you and talk to you. Were going to whipsaw a bit into the hearing room that had our attention yesterday. Senator Jeff Sessions of alabama nominated to become the nations top Law Enforcement official, the next Attorney General. Were going to hear some extraordinary remarks here, Congressman Lewis from georgia, is about to speak in opposition of Senator Sessions, and senator booker from new jersey. The importance of this, a Senator Speaking in opposition to a fellow sitting senator. There are only 100 people in that community. It is a very, very small world indeed, but this is part of the opposition lined up against Senator Sessions to be attorney general. Well listen in, in the hearing room. Like caucus. Welcome to the committee, congressman richmond. Finally we will hear from mr. William smith. Mr. Smith worked for Senator Sessions as the first africanamerican general counsel on the Senate Judiciary committee. He has known Senator Sessions for 20 years and we know him because that service as a staffperson here as well. Welcome to all of you, and well start with senator booker. Thank you, airmangrassley. I want to thank Senator Leahy as well, as well as the distinguished members of this committee. I know it is exceptional for a senator to testify against another senator nominated for a Cabinet Position and i appreciate the opportunity youve given me today. Ive worked closely with many of you on this panel on both sides of the dais, on matters related to Criminal Squlus Reform and you know just how deeply motivated i am by the many issues our next Attorney General will heavily influence, especially the crisis of Mass Incarceration. I know that some of my many colleagues are unhappy that i am breaking with senate protradition to testify on the nomination of one of my colleagues, but i believe like perhaps all of my colleagues in the senate that, in the choice between standing with senate norms or standing up for what my conscience tells me is best for our country, i will always choose conscience and country. Senator sessions and i have consistently disagreed on the issues, he and i have always exercised a collegiality and a Mutual Respect between us. Perhaps the best example of this is the legislation we cosponsored to award the congressional gold medal to those foot soldiers who marched at selma, one of the foot soldiers is sitting next to me now. This was a blessing and an honor to me, because in 2015, a retired judge who was white told me that it was those brave marchers on the Intelligence Agencies<\/a> in this country visavis how it could be taken overseas. Right now is the start of the 1 00 p. M. Hour here in the east. Imagine the role of this man right now. This is a live picture in front of the Senate Foreign<\/a> relations committee, and that is the ceo of exxonmobil, a Multinational Company<\/a> so large, while its said they cant change the weather, they can forecast it. They have their own weather bureau, a sprawling organization of 70,000 employees. Rex tillerson is the nominee to be our next Secretary Of State<\/a>, a job offer that came to him. Its been said in the Public Domain<\/a> in part because of his relationship with russia, because of his relationship with\rVladimir Putin<\/a>. Imagine all of this in light of the News Conference<\/a> we just witnessed, in light of what donald trump said and didnt say about russia and putin, in light of what donald trump said about u. S. Intelligence agencies, here is a part of what we just witnessed this last hour. The Democratic National<\/a> committee was totally open to be hacked. They did a very poor job. They could have had hacking defense. President putin and russia put out a Statement Today<\/a> that this fake news indeed fake news. They said it totally never happened. Now somebody would say oh, of course hes going to say that. I respected the fact that he said that. If he did have something they would have released it and glad to release it. If putin likes donald trump, guess what, folks . Thats called an asset, not a liability. Do you honestly believe that hillary would be tougher on putin than me . I think it was disgraceful,\rdisgraceful that the Intelligence Agencies<\/a> allowed any information that turned out to be so false and fake out. I think its a disgrace. And i say that and i say that, and thats something that nazi germany would have done and did do. I have no deals. I have no loans, and i have no dealings. We could make deals in russia very easily if. We wanted to. I just dont want to because i think that would be a conflict. Kristen welker was inside the room. She is now outside trump tower, on what can be a perilous stretch of fifth avenue in new york. Andrea mitchell in the equally perilous confines of the u. S. Senate in washington, standing by to talk to us. Kristen, im still going through the quotes on, what, 15 to 20 topics from that News Conference<\/a>. What couldnt we see from our vantage point, watching on television that perhaps would assist our understanding of what\ra High Wire Act<\/a> and high tension event this was . Reporter well two things, brian. One, of course, this is the first News Conference<\/a> hes had in 168 days. So you had reporters, were always trying to get our questions in. But the number of questions, the range of questions i think was so expansive because there was souclost time to make up for, and i think that that contributed to some of the tension that you saw unfold there, and then of course you had these developments overnight, this reporting on russia that the President Elect<\/a> dismissed outright, and that caused him to again attack his intelligence communities right off of the top. And i guess i would make one more point, brian, there are a lot of questions that went unanswered on his Intelligence Community<\/a>. Does he trust them . Does he trust his intelligence officials . I tried to pin him down on that at the very end of the News Conference<\/a> and he sort of dodged\rexchange that he had with cnns jim acosta, when he attacked cnn for their reporting, and jim said, let me at least get a question in, and he wouldnt allow it. Thats really extraordinary, brian. Ive been to a number of News Conference<\/a>s and youve been to a number of president ial News Conference<\/a>s and never really seen that type of tension before. Again i would just underscore, this is the first News Conference<\/a> hes had since july so theres a lot of questions we didnt get to, like isis, like israel and the middle east, so it all set the stage for fireworks. Kristen welker thanks and thanks to the mta for parking a bus behind you during our conversation. Andrea mitchell is one of the people who has us beat in terms of our combined attendance at president ial News Conference<\/a>. Andrea, i just cant ask you in enough ways to sum up, if this isnt a President Elect<\/a> at war with the Intelligence Community<\/a>, such a vital arm of government\rwhen youre a president , the Intelligence Community<\/a> which is both vendor and client, to overseas countries, to private organizations, i dont want to see what war is, but try to sum up what the impact, the concussion this is going to cause in washington. Well, concussions a great word because there are concussion bombs. This is a concussion bomb. Brian, he compared the Intelligence Community<\/a> pretty directly on twitter and at his News Conference<\/a> used the same analogy to nazi germany. Youre talking about Men And Women<\/a>, thousands and thousands of them here and overseas who are often covert, and even those who are not have to make considerable sacrifices in their lives, not for great amounts of money. Many of them have died. Their stars are on the wall at langley. Theyve been expanded in the last 15 years since 9 11, big\rexpansion perhaps too much bureaucracy, that could be addressed. Lot of critics internally and externally think that that is the real focus that he should be looking at once he gets into office but to raise that question, to talk about these leaks i think a lot of people, including myself Last Night On Thir<\/a> with you, questioned why there was that addendum of what most likely is unverified information that was attached to the classified intelligence brief. So those are the kinds of questions that you can ask but to compare them to nazi, germany, that is really escalating this war. This was the first grudging acknowledgment that russia was behind the hacking but again in the next sentence he compared it to the office of Personnel Management<\/a> hacking 22 Million People<\/a> by china. Well that did happen two years ago, there was a lot of attention. I was on the air a lot on nightly news and msnbc on the today show, we covered that story. The difference between what\rrussia did and what china does, what north korea does, what we do, our country to, you know, foreign countries, allies and adversaries alike, ive covered stories of us hacking the french and the japanese over commercial contracts, and whether airbus and boeing get contracts. All these kinds of things happen every day. The difference here in the russian hacking which was the Consensus Agreement<\/a> of 17 agencies, it was weaponized. It was drnted. Drnted under order by Our Own Exclusive Reporting<\/a> by Vladimir Putin<\/a> and confirmed by the report that was released to wikileaks, Whether Wikileaks<\/a> was winning or not winning, wikileaks distributed it and distributed this harmful information, a lot of which could have had an impact on voting and donald trump kept refers to wikileaks during the campaign. He did it again today, in fact. Look at the horrible things that john podesta said from wikileaks\rabout hillary clinton, his characterization, not mine. The point is he keeps pointing to wikileaks the conveyor of stolen information hacked by russia and leaked during the campaign and this is the offense which may even be a criminal offense in some regards. We dont know whats been investigated. There have been hints of an investigation. So its just amazing, and hes going to have to rely, i heard chuck todd say he has to rely on the same Intelligence Agencies<\/a> and their career people. Doesnt matter who is at the head. Its a big superliner to turn around. Youre going to have to rely on the analysis of those Men And Women<\/a>. It takes a long time to train them. Youre not going to have them all, you know, leaving immediately. If north korea is close to launching an icbm that can hold a Nuclear Weapon<\/a> and reach the continental United States<\/a>, he has to not only persuade the American People<\/a> but our allies about the veracity of that intelligence and what he is doing now arguably is destroying the credibility of american\rintelligence at home and abroad. Thats a serious and important point you make there at the end. The only place youre going to learn abou the moves north korea is makings the very same Intelligence Agencies<\/a> that were in for such a drubbing today. In our studio here we have ali velshi, we have katy tur, we also have standing by a guy who has been so patient with us, steve clemmons, editor at large for the atlantic. Steve, where to begin . What was your lead story from that event . I think the lead story is two things, is that as you were showing earlier the Rex Tillerson<\/a> exchange with the members of the Senate Foreign<\/a> relations committee, many people say the intelligence was seemingly soft on some of the issues. I was struck by how hard he was in comparison to donald trump, so the taking of crimea was a taking. He criticized the Obama Administration<\/a> for not putting in enough defensive weapons and not putting in enough support. It was a sort of hard edged assessment, and that it was highly unlikely, he said, that the United States<\/a> would become friends with russia, and that just stands out as an obvious contrast with the tilt and tone of donald trump even with the kinds of things saying maybe we wont be friends with Vladimir Putin<\/a> and others, but donald trump continues to sort of largely publicly hug that Vladimir Putin<\/a> and hold that out, so ive got a divide with a Press Conference<\/a> going on at the same time as the Senate Hearing<\/a> between the likely Secretary Of State<\/a>, potential Secretary Of State<\/a> and the President Elect<\/a>, and that stood out. The other thing thats gotten almost no attention was that he nominated and talked about david shulke, Veterans Affairs<\/a> Obama Appointee<\/a>. He will be the first Obama Appointee<\/a> if confirmed in the trump cabinet. That may not compare to all the other news out there but that is\rinteresting. Indeed. Hes an d. , and youre right, he will be a holdover from adstration t administration. Also a very tough job to fill among all the cabinet agencies, but steve, imagine this. What youre talking about, the way donald trump treated and handled all things russian, from putin to russia in general, this was all in the context of a News Conference<\/a> that was designed in part to quash and criticize what they saw as Scurrilous Reporting Tying Donald Trump<\/a> to russia. I think what David Ignatius<\/a> said before is that the hostility really between the Intelligence Agencies<\/a> and donald trump didnt get much help from this exchange. Theres an opportunity with this call that donald trump has made for the first 90 days hell get a report from the dni, the director of national\rintelligence, and the cia that strengthens our hand in the hacking arena, but broadly when you look at it, donald trump thus far goes to extraordinary lengths not to put russia on the spot, and that has put him at odds with a lot, not just the Intelligence Community<\/a>, but a lot of national, Republican National<\/a> security stalwarts, and if there was going to be a break between the legislative department and the executive over something big, its over these issue, and his dedication to kind of continuing really this crisis, not between democrats and republicans, but between republicans and republicans is i dont know what to call it. Its impressive, Donald Trumps<\/a> willingness to continue to kind of run on that edge where his own credibility is going to be held in doubt by many of the top intelligence people in the country, but also the lindsey grahams, john mccains, marco rubios and many other that will matter to him on a whole variety of Key Executive Decisions<\/a> in the world. Steve, finally, as someone to whom the printed word is so important, fake news. Someone spent months making fake news a thing, an entity, fairly vibrant entity and now its a bucket into which stories one doesnt like can be thrown. Reminds me of the old days the founding of the republic. Bill sapphire wrote a clever his Oshlg Torqual Novel<\/a> called scandal mongers. He talked about the early pamphleteeres who invented stories that defamed leading figures and theyd fight the pages out there. Im reminded of that era in American History<\/a> weve come back into that as well. Its important we in journalism maintain critical distance and objectivity in what we do and find a way to present that as the alternative to this raif of fake news that seems to be\rproliferating on both sides, if there is, are two wils its there. This era may test us all. Steve thank you very much. Always a pleasure to hear from you and talk to you. Were going to whipsaw a bit into the hearing room that had our attention yesterday. Senator Jeff Sessions<\/a> of alabama nominated to become the nations top Law Enforcement<\/a> official, the next Attorney General<\/a>. Were going to hear some extraordinary remarks here, Congressman Lewis<\/a> from georgia, is about to speak in opposition of Senator Sessions<\/a>, and senator booker from new jersey. The importance of this, a Senator Speaking<\/a> in opposition to a fellow sitting senator. There are only 100 people in that community. It is a very, very small world indeed, but this is part of the opposition lined up against Senator Sessions<\/a> to be attorney\rgeneral. Well listen in, in the hearing room. Like caucus. Welcome to the committee, congressman richmond. Finally we will hear from mr. William smith. Mr. Smith worked for Senator Sessions<\/a> as the first africanamerican general counsel on the Senate Judiciary<\/a> committee. He has known Senator Sessions<\/a> for 20 years and we know him because that service as a staffperson here as well. Welcome to all of you, and well start with senator booker. Thank you, airmangrassley. I want to thank Senator Leahy<\/a> as well, as well as the distinguished members of this committee. I know it is exceptional for a senator to testify against another senator nominated for a Cabinet Position<\/a> and i appreciate the opportunity youve given me today. Ive worked closely with many of you on this panel on both sides of the dais, on matters related to Criminal Squlus Reform<\/a> and you know just how deeply\rmotivated i am by the many issues our next Attorney General<\/a> will heavily influence, especially the crisis of Mass Incarceration<\/a>. I know that some of my many colleagues are unhappy that i am breaking with senate protradition to testify on the nomination of one of my colleagues, but i believe like perhaps all of my colleagues in the senate that, in the choice between standing with senate norms or standing up for what my conscience tells me is best for our country, i will always choose conscience and country. Senator sessions and i have consistently disagreed on the issues, he and i have always exercised a collegiality and a Mutual Respect<\/a> between us. Perhaps the best example of this is the legislation we cosponsored to award the congressional gold medal to those foot soldiers who marched at selma, one of the foot soldiers is sitting next to me now. This was a blessing and an honor\rto me, because in 2015, a retired judge who was white told me that it was those brave marchers on the Edmund Pettis<\/a> bridge who inspired him as a young lawyer in the 1960s to seek justice for all in new jersey and begin representing black families looking to integrate white neighborhoods, black families who were turned away and denied housing. One of the families was mine. I am literally sitting here because of people, marchers in alabama, and Volunteer Lawyers<\/a> in new jersey, who saw it as their affirmative duty to pursue justice, to fight discrimination, to stand up for those who are marginalized. But the march for justice in our country still continues. It is still urgent. I know also though of the urgency for Law And Order<\/a>. I imagine that no sitting senator has lived in the last 20 years in higher crime\rneighborhoods than i have. I have seen unimaginable violence on american streets. I know the tremendous courage of Law Enforcement<\/a> officers who put their lives on the line every single day to fight crime in america. I want an Attorney General<\/a> who is committed to supporting Law Enforcement<\/a> and securing Law And Order<\/a>, but that is not enough. America was founded heralding not Law And Order<\/a>, but justice for all, and critical to that is Equal Justice<\/a> under the law. Law and order without justice is unobtainable. They are inextricably tied together. If there is no justice, there is no peace. The Alabama State<\/a> troopers on the Edmund Pettis<\/a> bridge were seeking Law And Order<\/a>. The marchers were seeking justice, and ultimately a greater peace. One of the victories of the\rmodern Civil Rights Movement<\/a> was the 1957 civil rights act, which in effect made be the Attorney General<\/a> not only the chief Law Enforcement<\/a> officer of the United States<\/a>, but also vested in that office the responsibility to pursue civil rights and equal protection for all of america. Senator sessions has not demonstrated a commitment to a central requisite of the job, to aggressively pursue the congressional mandate of civil rights, equal rights, and justice for all of our citizens. In fact, at numerous times in his career hes demonstrated a hostility towards these convictions, and has worked to frustrate attempts to advance these ideals. If confirmed Senator Sessions<\/a> will be required to pursue justice for women but his record indicates that he wont. He will be expected to defend the ecall rights of gay, lesbian\rand Transgender Americans<\/a> but his record indicates that he wont. He will be expected to defend Voting Rights<\/a> butis recd indicates he wont. He will be expected to defend the rights of immigrants and affirm their Human Dignity<\/a> but the record indicates that he wont. His record indicates thated aAttorney General<\/a> he would object to the growing National Bipartisan<\/a> Movement Towards<\/a> Criminal Justice<\/a> reform. His record indicates we cannot count on him to support state and National Efforts<\/a> towards bringing justice to the Justice System<\/a>, and people on both sides of the aisle who readily admit that the Justice System<\/a> as it stands now, is biased against the poor, against drug addict n addiction, against mentally ill and against people of color. His record indicates that at a time that even the fbi director is speaking out against explicit racial bias in policing and the\rurgent need to address it, the last two Attorney General<\/a>s have taken steps to fix our broken criminal Justice System<\/a> as a time when the Justice Department<\/a> he would lead has uncovered systemic abuses in Police Departments<\/a> all over the United States<\/a>, including ferguson, including newark, Senator Sessions<\/a> would not continue to lead this urgently needed change. The next Attorney General<\/a> must bring hope and Heal Iing To Thi Country<\/a> and this demands a more courageous empathy than Senator Sessions<\/a> record demonstrates. It demands an understanding that patriotism is love of country and love of country demands that we love all of our citizens, even the most marginalized, the most disadvantaged, the most degraded, and the most unfortunate. Challenges of race in america cannot be addressed if we refuse to confront them. Persistent biases cannot be defended unless we combat them. The arc of the moral universe does not just naturally curve towards justice. We must bend it. If someone to be Attorney General<\/a>, they must be willing to continue the hallowed tradition in our country of fighting for justice for all, for Equal Justice<\/a>, for civil rights. America needs an Attorney General<\/a> who is resolute and determined to bend the arc. Senator sessions record does not speak to that desire, intention or will. With all at stake in our nation now, with the need for healing and love i pray my colleagues will join me in opposing his nomination. Mr. Chairman id like to submit my testimony to the record and thank you for your opportunity to testify and finally id like to acknowledge which was not done that sitting behind me are proud members of the united\rstates congress and the Congressional Black Caucus<\/a>. Thank you, sir. And you shouldnt have had to recognize them. I should have done that, im sorry. Thank you, sir. Because i knew they were here. Mr. Huntley . Good afternoon. You got to push the button. I see, thank you. Ill start over briefly. You might pull the mike a little closer, get as close as you can. Good afternoon. Thats much better. My name is Willie Huntley<\/a> and im an attorney located in mobile, alabama. Im a solo practitioner and i have been practicing law for over 30 years. Im a graduate of auburn university, where i attended college on a football scholarship. I graduated from auburn in 1980, and i attended Cumberland Law School<\/a> after that. I finished Cumberland Law School<\/a> in 1984. After i finished law school i started a federal clerkship with a federal judge in montgomery, alabama. After i completed that process, i began a tour with the,ed aan assistant District Attorney<\/a> in macon county, alabama. I was there from 1985 to 1987. Then my life changed. I got a phone call one day and my secretary comes in the office, and she says, Jeff Sessions<\/a> is on the phone. And im sitting there wondering why is Jeff Sessions<\/a> calling me . I was wellware of the allegations that had happened in his bid to become a federal judge, which made me wonder why he was calling me. I answered the phone and i find out that Jeff Sessions<\/a> wants me to become an assistant United States<\/a> attorney in the Southern District<\/a> of alabama. This presented an ideal situation, so i decided to take advantage of that and the first time i actually met him was at a\rdinner in montgomery. That dinner was supposed to last probably an hour, hour and a half. We ended up meeting for about three hours. During that time period, we discussed a number of topics, football, religion, politics, family, we talked about all those things, and during the course of that meeting with him, i got the feeling more and more and more that the allegations that had been spread through the press werent true. I also was contemplating whether i should make this move, because i thought if i go to mobile, i dont know anybody there. I have no family there, and what if this man turns out to be exactly how hes been portrayed . Fortunately, it didnt turn out like that. I was at the u. S. Attorneys office from 1987 to 1991. He assigned me the general criminal trial cases. He also assigned me to Civil Rights Cases<\/a>, and i would supervise all the Civil Rights Cases<\/a> that came through the office. During this time period, i can recall where we successfully prosecuted a Police Officer<\/a> that was charged with excessive use force. Unfortunately, i made a decision to leave the. S. Attorneys office in 1991. That decision wasnt based on anything that had happened to me during my time period in the u. S. Attorneys office. During that time period, jeff gave me advice, counsel. He provided a great deal of support in everything that i did. One thing in particular that he did was my second child was born, and there was a knock on the door that morning and through the door walks Jeff Sessions<\/a>. After i left the u. S. Attorneys office, jeff became the attorney\rgeneral of alabama. He asked me to join his staff at this time, but i declined to join his staff. However, he made me a special assistant Attorney General<\/a> and he put me in charge of handling defense cases for the state of alabama. Also during this time period, jeff became charged with violating the state of alabama ethics act. It involved a company by the name of tyco. Jeff sessions could have hired any lawyer he wanted to, to represent him in that matter. Jeff decided to hire me in that particular case. We had that case and during the course of it, it was probably the longest hearing that had ever been held before the state ethics commission. At that point, jeff was fully exonerated of all the charges involving the state ethics act. One of the things that i can say about jeff is that he has always been the same person that i have\rknown. Hes always been available for me, and always been there when i needed him. At no point in the time that ive known jeff has he demonstrated any racial insensitivity, and i see my time is rapidly winding down and i would just like to say that, in my, Jeff Sessions<\/a> will enforce and follow the laws of the United States<\/a> evenhandedly, equally and with justice for all. Jeff sessions will adhere to the Justice Department<\/a> motto Quid Pro Domina Sequitor<\/a> it means for the lady justice, jeff will protect and defend the rights of all people. Thank you for this opportunity. Thank you. Now well hear from congressman john lewis. Chairman grassley, Senator Leahy<\/a>, and members of the\rcommittee, thank you for inviting me to testify today. Millions of americans are encouraged by our countrys efforts to create a more inclusive democracy during the last 50 years, what some of us call the beloved community, a community at peace with itself. They are not a minority, a clear majority of americans say they want this to be a fair, just and open nation. They are afraid that this country is headed in the wrong direction. They are concerned leaders reject decades of progress and want to return to the dark past and the power of the law will use to deny the freedoms protected by the constitution. The bill of rights and its msnbcs, these are the voices i represent today. We can pretend that the law is blind. We can pretend that it is evenhanded but if we are honest ourselves we know we are called upon daily by the people we represent to help them deal with unfairness and how the law is written and enforced. Those two are committed to Equal Justice<\/a>, in our society, wonder whether Senator Sessions<\/a> calls nor Law And Order<\/a> will mean today what it went in alabama when i was coming up back then. The rule of use we use it violate the human and civil rights are the poor, the d\rdispossessed, people of color. I was born in rural alabama, not very far from where Senator Sessions<\/a> was raised. There was no way to escape or deny the chokehold of discrimination and racial hate that surrounded us. I saw the signs that said white waiting, colored waiting. I saw the signs that said white men, colored men, white women, colored women. I tasted the bitter fruits of segregation and racial discrimination. Segregation was the law of the land, the order of society in the deep south. Any black person who did not cross the street when a white person was walking down the same sidewalk who did not move to the back of the bus, who drank from a whitewater fountain, who\rlooked at a white person directly in their eyes could be arrested and taken to jail. The forces of Law And Order<\/a> in alabama were so strong that to take a stand against this injustice we had to be willing to sacrifice our lives for our cause, often the only way we could demonstrate that a law on the books violated a higher law, was by challenging that law. By putting our bodies on the line and showing the world the unholy price we had to pay for dignity and respect. It took massive wellorganized Nonviolent Dissent<\/a> for the Voting Rights<\/a> act to become law. It required criticism of in this great nation and its laws to\rmove toward a greater sense of equality in america. We had to sit in. We had to stand in. We had to march. And thats why more than 50 years ago a group of Unarmed Citizen<\/a> citizens, plaqblack and white, gather on march 7, 1965, in a peaceful nonviolent fashion to walk from selma to montgomery, alabama, to dramatize to the nation and to the world that we wanted to register to vote, wanting to become participants in a democratic process. We were beaten. Tear gas, left bloody, some of us unconscious. Some of us had concussions. Some of u almost died on that\rbridge. But the congress responded, president Lyndon Johnson<\/a> responded, and the Congress Passed<\/a> the Voting Rights<\/a> act and it was signed into law on august 6, 1965. We have come a distance. Weve made progress, but were not there yet. There are forces that want to take us back to another place. We dont want to go back. We want to go forward. As the late a. Randolph the dean for the march on washington in 1963 often said, maybe our forefathers and our foremothers all came to this great land in different ships. Well were all in the same boat now. It Doesnt Matter<\/a> how Senator Sessions<\/a> may smile, how friendly he may be, how he may speak to you. But we need someone who is going to stand up, speak up and speak\rout for the people that need help, for people who have been discriminated fence and gainst, Doesnt Matter<\/a> black, white, latino american, native american, asianamerican, whether they are straight or gay, muslim, christian or jews. We all live in the same house, the american house. We need someone as Attorney General<\/a> who is going to look out for all of us and not just for some of us. I ran out of time. Thank you for giving me a chance to testify. Thank you, Congressman Lewis<\/a>. Now i go to mr. Sorroyer. Chairman, senators of the committee its an honor for me to be here and i thank you for your time. My namis jesse sorroyer jr. Ive been in Law Enforcement<\/a> since 1976 to 2016. Ive served in local Police Departments<\/a> for 11 years, served in the United States<\/a> Marshal Service<\/a> for 8 1 2 years, served in the Attorney Generals Office<\/a> for 20 1 2 years. I first met Jeff Sessions<\/a> when he was u. S. Trt he were to in the Southern District<\/a> of alabama. Jeff was prosecuted at that time by the name of henry hayes. Jeff prosecuted that person for the abduction and murder of a black teenager. Following jeffs election as Attorney General<\/a> i had the privilege to serve with him and his administration as his chief investigator. The beginning of jeffs tenure as Attorney General<\/a> presented Senator Sessions<\/a> with challenges that included Budget Crisis<\/a>, and onethird reduction of staff. Things that jeff did when we came with the Budget Crisis<\/a> and the reduction of staff, there were several people in the\roffice that had to seek other jobs elsewhere. There was a black investigator in the office that came and had less than a year left before he was eligible to retire. Jeff sessions allowed that to take place. He didnt have to do that. He did not have to do that at all, because of the situation that we were in. Jeff sessions retained me. He did not have to do that. But he did. Following the election, you know, we were charged with the responsibilities of a lot of crimes and the expectations of the Attorney General<\/a> was charged with the responsibilities of working various cases which included white collar crimes, public disruption, voter fraud and criminal investigations. As i reflect on our work there was never a time when any of these cases was investigated with any political agenda or motive. The utmost respect and zeg sbeg\rrit w integrity was exercised for all individuals involved. Jeff sessions decisions as Attorney General<\/a> earned him a reputation and respect among his colleagues in appreciation for his willingness to do what was right. When Jeff Sessions<\/a> got to the u. S. Senate, as Attorney General<\/a>, he had argued to uphold the conviction and sentence of klaansman henry hayes for the murder of michael donnell. When Jeff Sessions<\/a> became u. S. Senator, he helped me with an appointment for u. S. State marshal for the district of alabama. He didnt have to do that but he did. I have known Jeff Sessions<\/a> for 20 years. Hes a good and decent man. He believes in Law And Order<\/a> for all the people, all the people in alabama, because of his colleagues and all surrounded him, the things that hes done\rfor the Law Enforcement<\/a> community and citizens of alabama is great. Its without any questions as to whether or not he would be fit to serve this country as the United States<\/a> Attorney General<\/a>. Now, i did not learn these things from a Political Press<\/a> conference or any website where i read about it. I know Jeff Sessions<\/a> as the man, the man that i know is a decent and honest and respectful man that will put all of his life into public service. Hes done that. When we talk about the criminal Justice System<\/a>, you know, we enforce the laws, and we do it because we have a love for the laws. Jeff sessi loves the people that do the Enforcement Side<\/a> of it. He respects the citizens, deserves a good and honest person thats going to give all he has to make sure that everyone is treated equally and fairly under the law. But his decency as a man, and his honesty as a man speak for itself. He is the type of individual that i support for the United States<\/a> Attorney Generals Office<\/a>, because of my reputation and his history with me as a person, and the things that ive seen over the years in Jeff Sessions<\/a>. Its hard being a public servant. I was in law and been in Law Enforcement<\/a> for 40 years. Its a tough job. We dont violate the laws. We dont get out there and do things that would cause ourselves to be brought into the system, and im not saying everybody is the same. But i believe that hell take hold of the Justice System<\/a>, Justice Department<\/a> and hell be fair, he will be honest and hell do the same thing for every person with honesty and respect for all of us. My time is up. And thank you for listening. Thank you, mr. Sorroyer. Now congressman richmond. Congressman richmond . Wait just a minute, congressman. Human beings who are innocent let me thank thechairman and Ranking Member<\/a> for allowing me to testify. I would ask to you hold. You wont lose any time. Stop torturing people proceed, congressman. Let me thank the chairman and Ranking Member<\/a> for allowing me to testify. The senates duty to provide advice and consent to president ial nominees is a fundamental component of american democracy. I know you do not take this responsibility lightly. Before i jump into my substantive testimony i want to address two timely issues. First i want to express my concerns about being made to testify at the very end of the witness panels. To have a senator, a house member and a Living Civil Rights Legend<\/a> testify at the end of all of this is the equivalent of being made to go to the back of the bus. It say petty strategy and the record should reflect my C Consternation<\/a> at the process that brought us here. My record on equality speaks for itself and i Dont Mind Being<\/a> last but to have a Living Legend<\/a> like john lewis handled in such a fashion is Beyond The Pale<\/a> and the message sent by this process is duly noted by me and the 49 members of the Congressional Black Caucus<\/a> and the 78 million americans we represent and the over 17 africanamericans that\rwe represent. Further on the issue of Senator Sessions<\/a> record of prosecuting the marion three, stemming from a complaint filed by africanamericans, i say the following. History is replete with efforts by those empowered to legitimize their acts of suppression and intimidation of black voters by recruiting other blacks to assist in bringing trumped up charges against lawabiding citizens who are engaged in perfectly legitimate Voter Education<\/a> and empowerment activities. Those tactics were effectively used gns former congressmen robert smalls, and hundreds if not thousands of black Office Holders<\/a> and landholders in our postreconstruction era, and they were used several years ago against mr. And mrs. Alfred turner who was discussed by this committee yesterday. The Declaration Of Independence<\/a> set forth the idea of universal equality that rests at the heart of our democracy, but it is the\r14th amendment of our constitution and its equal protection clause that has helped bring us closer to fulfilling that foundational principle and bringing us closer to a more perfect union. All Cabinet Officials<\/a> have a responsibility to protect the interest of all of the American People<\/a>, but theres no office for which the duty to apply the law equally is greater than that of the Attorney General<\/a>. In my capacity as chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus<\/a>, i urge you to reject Senator Sessions<\/a> nomination. Throughout our nations history, Attorney General<\/a>s have used the resources of the federal government to vindicate the right of the most vulnerable in society. After the civil war, the first Attorney General<\/a> to lead the doj prosecuted the kkk for its widespread use of violence aimed at suppressing the black vote. This facilitated massive black voting turnout in 187 for the\rfirst time in our nations history, former slaves were aforred the opportunity to participate in the democratic process. Simply put, Senator Sessions<\/a> has advanced an agenda that will do great harm to africanamerican citizens and communities. For this reason the cbc believes Senator Sessions<\/a> should be disqualified. He has demonstrated a total disregard for the equal application of justice and protection of the law as it applies to africanamericans and false short on so many issues. Jeff sessions supports a system of Mass Incarceration<\/a> that is disproporgtately targeted of Acap American<\/a> Sit Stenographcit<\/a> devastated africanamerican communities. He opposed common sense bipartisan Criminal Justice<\/a> reform, and Jeff Sessions<\/a> cannot be relied upon to enforce the Voting Rights<\/a> act. In his decades long career in public life, Senator Sessions<\/a> has proven himself unfit to serve in the role as attorney\rgeneral. And i would not have the opportunity to testify today if it were not for men like john lewis who was beaten within an inch of his life in his pursuit for the right to vote for africanamericans. Its a shame he must sit here and he will litigate this 50 years later. We sit here as the prodigy of Men And Women<\/a> who were bought, sold, enslaved, raped, tortured, beaten and lynched. Black people were bought as chattel and considered threefifths of a human being. Weve been able to endure and largely overcome that history thanks in part to brave Men And Women<\/a>, both democrat and republican, who sat where you sit and cast often difficult votes for free tom and equality. These senators fought opinion and even their own party to do what was right . I come before you today asking you to do the same. Now you all must face a choice. Be cougeous or complicit. If you vote for session session you take possession of everything he may do or not do in office. He has no track record of fighting for justice for minorities despite the characterization youve heard from others today. He and his supporters have told you he is a champion for civil rights and equality. Characterization and revisionist histories are not the same things as facts. He is on the record on numerous issues. I have provided just a few examples today. Lets think about this logically. If he were in fact a champion for civil rights, wouldnt the Civil Rights Community<\/a> support his nomination instead of speaking with one voice in near unanimous opposition . In closing, each and every senator who casts a vote to confirm Senator Sessions<\/a> will be permanently marked as a coconspirator in an effort to move this country backwards towards a darker period in our shared history. So i ask you all, where do you\rstand . It is clear from Senator Sessions<\/a> record where he stands, where you stand with him and allow history to judge you for doing so. I implore you all to weigh these questions properly as you prepare to cast what will be one of the most consequential votes in your time as a United States<\/a> senator. Res ipsa loquitor, a legal term which means the thing speaks for itself. Senator sessions record speaks for itself and i would urge you not to confirm Senator Sessions<\/a> as Attorney General<\/a> of the United States<\/a>, and thank you, mr. Chairman, for allowing me to go over. Thank you, congressman richmond. Now i call on mr. Smith. Chairman grassley, members of the committee, i ask My Written Statement<\/a> be made part of the record. It will be and thats true of senator booker and anybody else that didnt get their entire statement put in the record, it will be in the record, yes. Its an honor for me to support Senator Sessions<\/a> to be the next Attorney General<\/a> of the United States<\/a> of america. He will do an outstanding job. The American People<\/a> had an opportunity to witness yesterday through his testimony a brilliant legal mind, a man of the highest character, and great integrity. Let me briefly address this legal mind. As a staffer your job is to be more prepared than the member. Senator sessions made this difficult. When he didnt speak on the topic i would hand him another note on another topic. Timely he decided to speak and he did as he did in his testimony yesterday, he crushed it. Senator sessions was not ignoring my notes. He was systematically thinking about how to put all the notes together in one speech. A number of my colleagues i told them blank sheet of paper and told him to make me look good,\rand thats what he did. Senator sessions spent yesterday proving to the American People<\/a> that he understands the law, will disperburse it equally and made a bunch of staffers look good. Lot has been said about senator session character. Weve seen people who have never met Senator Sessions<\/a> claim to know him, know his heart. Weve seen members of this body and members of the House Of Representatives<\/a> just now who has worked with Senator Sessions<\/a> and praised him for his work and now turn to attack him. This should not be. The reason we did not see a lot of this yesterday, during the hearing, is because the members of this committee know Senator Sessions<\/a>. You know hes a strong conservative but you also know hes fair and honest. If you disagree because of his political views lets have a conversation about that but lets do it on the facts, not on 30 years of old innuendos and allegations that have been disproven. Theres something very consistent about praising Senator Sessions<\/a> for for aiding\rafricanamerican communities and working on crack and powder cocaine legislation and then criticizing him because it takes a different political view on another matter like immigration. Enforcing Immigration Laws<\/a> is want out of the mainstream. On the panel that testified before this one, through personal attack after personal attack after personal attack, i doubt any one of those individuals attacking Senator Sessions<\/a> outside of yesterday has spent 30 minutes in the same room with him. Thats 30 minutes in the same room, not 30 minutes talking to him. I doubt any of them have spent 30 minutes or ten minutes talking to Senator Sessions<\/a>. This process should not be about this process should be about facts, not about political aspirations. Every allegation and witness from 30 years ago has been discredited. Members in the media should move on. Senator sessions testified yesterday that he would enforce the laws whether he agreed with them or not. Thats the role of the attorney\rgeneral. Not to embrace every Point Of View<\/a> in the shifting political winds. If you come before Jeff Sessions<\/a>, you will get Equal Justice<\/a> and you will respect the outcome even if you lose. How do i know this . I know it because i know Jeff Sessions<\/a>. Im not testifying as someone who just met him yesterday. I know his family. Ive dined at his house. Weve eaten Johnny Rockets<\/a> burgers together. Ive traveled across the state of alabama with Jeff Sessions<\/a>. Ive watched him order a Heath Blizzard<\/a> at dairy queen, quote, heavy on the heath. Ive watched him prepare for hearings. I debated him on legislative matters. Ive written speeches for him. Ive made speeches on his behalf. Ive been in every political situation with him. Senator sessions is unquestionably qualified for the job, for which hes been nominated. Hes a good christian sxhan a good family man. Hes a man whos dedicated his\rlife to public service. In the course of that hes absolutely fault for disenfranchised. Not only did he fight for citizen reform, he accomplished it. He fought for civil rights. He prosecuted members of the klu klux klan. And he fought for all americans, regardless of the color of their skin or beliefs. This is the way it should be. After 20 years of knowing Senator Sessions<\/a>, i have not seen the slightest evidence of racism because it does not exist. I know a racist when i see one, and ive seen more than one. But Jeff Sessions<\/a> is not one. Senator sessions has served with distinction throughout his career as United States<\/a> attorney, as Attorney General<\/a> for alabama, and as a member of this body. The Legal Profession<\/a> is better for his service. This body is better for his service. And this country at the end of his term will be better for his service. And every season, Jeff Sessions<\/a>\rhas been measured, courteo and kind. He has treated me and everyone respectfully and fairly. Not showing favoritism at any point. This is the kind of Attorney General<\/a> our nation needs. A mraud his selection. I look forward to his swift confirmation. Thank you, war eagle. The record will stay open until tuesday. I thank all of you for your testimony and the hearing is adjourned. There you heard it from Chairman Grassley<\/a> after an emotional series of speakers. And it was the congressman from louisiana who asked the very basic question, and that was, why this panel was going dead last in the hearings. Our justice correspondent, pete williams, has been riding this news day and yesterday along with us. Pete, weve been whipsawed between the donald trump news\rconference, the Rex Tillerson<\/a> confirmation hearings, remembering all the while that this, the confirmation of Jeff Sessions<\/a> for Attorney General<\/a> goes on. How are we to fit in what we just saw against the overall records so far with the sessions hearing . Well, this is day two of these hearings. They all follow the same pattern. You get the nominee on the first day and then people for and against the nominee the second day. Youve just heard a little bit of that. This morning we had speaking in favor of Senator Sessions<\/a>, former Attorney General<\/a>, former Deputy Attorney<\/a> general, member of the commission on human rights, the president of the fraternal order of police, opposing him we had the president of the naacp, advocates for rape victims, of former dreamer, someone who came here illegally under age and became an army veteran and u. S. Citizen. This afternoon this somewhat unusual panel, all africanamericans, all given the\ropportunity basically to speak without the members asking them any questions. Whereas, there were questions of the panel this morning. The committee chairman, charles grassley, said this is something he and the ranking democrat Dianne Feinstein<\/a> worked out in order to give, in essence, a platform to those folks who wanted to talk about Senator Sessions<\/a> this afternoon, but were not in the sort of pro and con Interest Group<\/a> area. But passionate statement from cory booker, who became the first u. S. Senator. We checked with Senate Historians<\/a> office on this. He is the first u. S. Senator to ever testimony against the nomination of a fellow senator. But what he said this morning is that he had to choose between his conscience and his country and the senate norms. Basically, the message from the Civil Rights Community<\/a> here has been that Senator Sessions<\/a> both in his time as the federal prosecutor, a state Attorney General<\/a> and a senator, has not\rshown the commitment to aggressively pursuing civil rights that they want to see in an Attorney General<\/a>. He has said yesterday, he spent a lot of time saying he would enforce laws, even though he disagrees with, but what you just heard from this panel of civil rights people is that they want to see an Attorney General<\/a> nominee, somebody who doesnt merely show a tolerance for those laws but somebody who would aggressively enforce them. Nonetheless, i dont think that this passionate testimony this afternoon is going to change the outcome. It does appear that Senator Sessions<\/a>, it comesown to a matter of simple arithmetic. The republicans have et votes. They need to get him confirmed. We have not seen any signs that opponents of Senator Sessions<\/a> have peeled away a sufficient number to deny him the confirmation. As for timing, brian, my guess is the democrats will do what they can do in these situations. Normally they could go first of all, the committee cant consider the nomination until\rtheres a president to nominate him. So, this is all doing their homework in advance. They cant vote on the nomination until donald trump is inaugurated and formally sends it up to the senate. Then the democrats have the option of asking for ten extra days. They may well do that. If thats the schedule, we may see a vote on Senator Sessions<\/a> maybe early the first full week in february. Pete williams, our justice correspondent, thanks. Our viewers might have noticed our other Guest Standing<\/a> by to talk to us. Thats the former chairman of the republican party, michael steele. Michael, where do you stand on the sessions nomination . Im in support of it, number one. I find i found the Hearing Process<\/a> to be largely pretty good. I think Jeff Sessions<\/a> has handled this very well. He articulated his failure in the past to really appreciate","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"https:\/\/comparemela.com\/images\/vimarsana-bigimage.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240618T12:35:10+00:00"}