A growing number of key Democrats raising questions about Attorney General-nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions have spent 20 years praising his character and bipartisanship, leading to a potentially awkward and hypocritical challenge at his upcoming Senate confirmation hearing.
A review of past public statements that show support and admiration for the Alabama senator includes words from Labor Secretary Thomas Perez who plans a spirited bid for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee.
Consider: During his 2009 confirmation hearing as assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Perez called Sessions a “wonderfully welcoming person.”
At his hearing Perez said: “I had the privilege of serving as a first-line supervisor in the criminal section. I traveled the country. My first travel was to Mobile, Ala., where we were treated with great dignity by then-U.S. Attorney and now Sen. Jeff Sessions, the first trial that I participated in, and he was a wonderfully welcoming person, a wonderfully welcoming U.S. attorney, and I am very grateful for that work.”
Now that he has been chosen as President-elect Trump’s attorney general, however, top Democrats are challenging Sessions on gay, racial and other issues and the attack would be led by potential leaders like Perez.
At least three Judiciary Committee Democratic senators, who’ve praised their committee colleague the past, are also raising concerns about Sessions that they’ve never listed before. And ditto for other Democratic senators who have jumped to co-sponsor and support legislation put forward by Sessions in the past.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, left, and Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., right, discuss their bipartisan support for a Senate vote that cleared the way for debate on a bill that would impose tariffs on Chinese imports as a penalty for currency manipulation Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
They include Sens. Dick Durbin, Chuck Schumer and Patrick Leahy. In criticizing Sessions, the trio have apparently forgotten their praise in a rush to politically tarnish their colleague ahead of the confirmation hearing.
SCHUMER:
— During a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on July 19, 2005, he said to Sessions, “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to thank all the witnesses. First, I do want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your fairness here. We have an equal number of witnesses on both sides in a very complicated and difficult issue, and I appreciate it.”
— At a November 2011 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun background checks, he said “You set a very good example, senator,” after Sessions described his 15 years of prosecuting gun cases.
DURBIN:
— At the 2010 confirmation hearing of Elena Kagan to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court, he said, “Sen. Sessions is a man of his word.”
LEAHY:
— At the same Kagan hearing, he said, “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Sen. Sessions who is actually wonderful to work with.”
— And at the 2009 confirmation hearing for Eric Holder to be Attorney General, the Vermont senator said to Sessions, “Sen. Sessions is here: of course, Sen. Sessions is also a former U.S. attorney and knows what one goes through in that regard, and we’ve relied on him for that experience. And, Sen. Sessions, it’s over to you.” To which Sessions responded, “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And, congratulations, Mr. Holder, on the nomination.”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
