The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on Friday condemned President-elect Donald Trump's decision to appoint Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general. NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. President Sherrilyn Ifill released a statement Friday citing Sessions' "decades-long record ... of opposing civil rights and equality," saying it was "unimaginable that he could be entrusted to serve as the chief law enforcement officer for this nation's civil rights laws." Ifill called Sessions' appointment "yet another signal" Trump's administration "is actively working to continue to sow division."
Trump transition team spokesman Jason Miller defended the Sessions decision, pointing to the desegregation lawsuits Sessions filed while Alabama attorney general, his vote in favor of the "30-year extension of the Civil Rights Act," and his involvement in awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to civil rights activist Rosa Parks. "[W]e feel very confident that Sen. Sessions has the background and the support to receive confirmation," Miller said.
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