Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), former civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), and Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, will all testify against Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Donald Trump's attorney general nominee, when his confirmation hearings start Tuesday.
Booker told MSNBC's Chris Hayes on Monday he would be "breaking a pretty long Senate tradition" by testifying. "We've seen Jeff Sessions... consistently voting against or speaking out against key ideals of the Voting Rights Acts, taking measures to try to block criminal justice reform," he said. "He has a posture and a positioning that I think represent a real danger to our country." While a U.S. Attorney in the 1980s, Sessions was accused by former Justice Department colleagues of making racist comments, and he was denied a federal judgeship. "The attorney general is responsible for ensuring the fair administration of justice, and based on his record, I lack confidence that Sen. Sessions can honor this duty," Booker said.
Several civil rights organizations have criticized Sessions over his opposition to the expansion of gay rights, legalization of marijuana for medical use, legal abortion, and embryonic stem cell research. The NAACP has called him a "threat to desegregation and the Voting Rights Act," and Booker opposes his stonewalling of "bipartisan criminal justice reform" and his "efforts earlier in his career to deny citizens voting rights."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Is New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s plan for free buses realistic?Talking Points A transit innovation or a costly mistake
-
5 side hustle ideas to supplement your budgetthe explainer Almost two-thirds of Americans are looking to get a second job in the next year
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified filesSpeed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
