Sessions faces Senate critics at hearing

WASHINGTON—Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., forcefully denied allegations of racism and pledged to ramp up law enforcement efforts during a hearing on his nomination for attorney general before the Senate Judiciary Committee today.

“I am ready for this job,” Sessions told the panel on which he has served for 20 years. “It will be my unyielding commitment to you, if I am confirmed, to see that laws are enforced faithfully, effectively, and impartially.”

Sessions made news on several fronts, including: opposing a ban on Muslim immigration; declaring waterboarding illegal torture; supporting continued use of the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and vowing to recuse himself from any investigation related to Hillary Clinton or her family’s foundation.

“We can never have a political dispute turn into a criminal dispute,” Sessions said, noting his public statements about Clinton during the campaign would put his objectivity in question. “This country does not punish political enemies.”

The Sessions hearing kicked off a packed week on Capitol Hill, including eight hearings on Trump’s nominees in Senate committees. Sessions’ appointment is the only one scheduled for two days, with Sessions testifying today and a slate of other witnesses scheduled Wednesday.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the committee’s top Democrat, called it “very difficult” to critically evaluate her longtime colleague. She noted his qualifications were not contingent on his Senate record, but enforcing federal law—even when he disagrees with it.

“We want to know if he will enforce laws he voted against,” Feinstein said in her opening statement. “We the American people want to know how he will use this awesome power.”

Ironically, the issue of enforcing all federal laws was a frequent flashpoint during the Obama years when former Attorney General Eric Holder unilaterally decided not to enforce numerous statutes, including marriage, immigration, and marijuana laws.

“For eight years, we’ve seen the Justice Department consistently ignoring the rule of law,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the committee chairman, focused on the power of the position when he opened questioning, noting Sessions’ open support for Trump during the campaign. Grassley asked if Sessions would stand up to the president, if and when he was required to tell him no on a legal matter, and the nominee vowed to do so.

Feinstein asked if Sessions would make public funds available for abortions through the Domestic Trafficking Victims Fund and whether he would respect the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling. Sessions blasted Roe v. Wade as a terrible decision but said he would uphold the law on both issues.

Sessions later declined to say whether he would argue for or against Roe v. Wade if a case potentially overturning it came before the Supreme Court. He also promised to make religious liberty a “high priority,” but he didn’t delve into policy specifics.

Accusations of racism formed Democrats’ most frequent line of attack since the issue scuttled Sessions’ nomination for a federal judgeship in 1986. Sessions called the charges “damnably false” and listed his civil rights accomplishments such as the death penalty conviction of a Ku Klux Klan member guilty of murder.

“I abhor the Klan and what it represents and its hateful ideology,” said Sessions, who also touted his work with Southern Poverty Law Center and praised the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for doing “tremendous good.”

A range of conservatives and organizations have come to Sessions’ defense, including a group of African-American pastors, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the Senate’s only African-American Republican. The majority committee staff circulated a long list of endorsements for Sessions, including major law enforcement associations and five former attorneys general: John Ashcroft, William Barr, Alberto Gonzalez, Edward Meese, and Michael Mukasey.

Democrats remain skeptical. The Congressional Black Caucus announced united opposition to Sessions, and several members will speak against his confirmation on Wednesday, including Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., with whom Sessions marched on the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, Ala.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., is also scheduled to testify against Sessions, marking the first time a sitting U.S. senator has testified against a colleague up for a cabinet position. Booker cites as problematic Sessions’ opposition to criminal justice reform, immigration reform, and a “failure to defend” minorities, women, and LGBT people. During the hearing, members of both parties pressed Sessions on how he would handle immigration matters, his signature issue as a senator. Democrats expressed displeasure with his responses, but Sessions did leave open the possibility of future legalization for the nation’s roughly 11 million illegal immigrants.

“Enforce the law, and then we’ll look at how to compassionately deal with those who have been here for a long time,” Sessions said.

Based on questioning, it did not appear any of the committee’s nine Democrats planned to vote for Sessions. Republicans hold 11 seats on the panel and 52 in the full Senate, meaning they could approve Sessions without any Democratic support.

Sessions said he would not vote for his own confirmation or any other cabinet picks, potentially leaving the GOP with a razor thin margin for some nominees.