Tag: Trump Administration

President Elect Donald Trump has chosen, much to the chagrin of liberal voices in government and across the nation, Senator Jeff Sessions (R) of Alabama, for Attorney General. Concerns over Session’s commitment to civil rights mount as old accusations of racism come to the fore.

The 69-year-old politician, currently serving his fourth term as a Senator, is a strong Trump advocate who has both praised and advised the President Elect on the campaign trail. And so the appointment is consistent with the Trump ethos, which puts a premium on loyalty. Session’s support was particularly important, since, as an established Republican Party apparatchik, his voice was useful in convincing others within the Republican Establishment to back the controversial outsider candidate. He also advised Trump to choose Mike Pence as his running mate. And Sessions is also a strong advocate of Trump’s controversial campaign proposal to ban on all Muslim’s entering the United States, which has angered many people the world over.

A trained lawyer, Senator Sessions has served on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and previously served as US attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, and as Alabama attorney general. As a staunch conservative, which comes as no surprise, he was one of President Obama’s biggest critics, and did his best to obstruct the outgoing President’s appointment’s and policies in the Senate.

In the past the Senator has spoken negatively about the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, and has called the ACLU and NAACP “un American” organizations.  Staffers have reported that he’s used racially inappropriate remarks, and made positive comments about the KKK. This is a major issue since the Attorney General, as the nations “top cop,” is charged with enforcing civil rights legislation. Many fear the Trump Administration won’t work to preserve and protect civil rights, and the appointment of Sessions to this key cabinet position does nothing to assuage their concerns.

 

Learn about Trump’s Attorney General Pick (CNN)

 

 

Photo: Public Domain, Link – Wikimedia Commons