Rep. Gallego: Sessions' Racist Record Should Disqualify Him for Top Law Enforcement Post

Statement

"Jeff Sessions was selected by a bigoted President not in spite of--but because of--his bigoted record over three decades in public life.

"According to the NAACP, Jeff Sessions is a man whose professional life has been defined by "an unrelenting hostility toward civil rights and racial justice.' For any other president in recent memory, such a record would be disqualifying. Unfortunately, this pattern of racial animosity made Sessions the perfect choice in Donald Trump's eyes to serve as our nation's top law enforcement official.

"In 1986, when Jeff Sessions sought an appointment to the federal bench, it emerged that he had derisively referred to an African American attorney as "boy' and had advised the same lawyer to "be careful what you say to white folks.' For these comments and other troubling statements on matters pertaining to race, the Republican-controlled Senate saw fit to deny Sessions a federal judgeship. I would encourage Republican senators to ponder whether a man considered too racist to be entrusted with a judicial position in 1986 deserves to wield the vast powers of the Attorney General of the United States in 2017.

"I believe Donald Trump and his Republican allies will launch the most aggressive assault on voting rights in a generation. In his first week in office, the President peddled lies about massive voter fraud. These lies lay the groundwork for Jeff Sessions, as Attorney General, to strip voting rights from millions of African-Americans, Latinos, and other minorities.

"For the sake of our democracy, the Senate must block Jeff Sessions' confirmation as Attorney General."

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