Booker: Jeff Sessions Has Demonstrated a ‘Hostility’ to ‘Civil Rights and ‘Equal Rights’

BOOKER: "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, numerous times in his career, he has demonstrated the hostility toward these convictions and has worked to frustrate attempts to advance these ideals. If confirmed, Senator Sessions will be required to pursue justice for women, but his record indicates that he won’t. He will be expected to defend the equal rights of gay and lesbian and transgender Americans, but his record indicates that he won’t. He will be expected to defend voting rights, but his record indicates that he won’t. He will be expected to defend the rights of immigrants and affirm their human dignity, but the record indicates that he won’t. His record indicates that as attorney general, he would object to the growing national bipartisan movement towards criminal justice reform. His record indicates that we cannot count on him to support state and national efforts toward bringing justice to the justice system, and people on both sides of the aisle who readily admit that the justice system as it stands now is biased against the poor, against drug addicted, against mentally ill, and against people of color."