Thursday, October 19, 2017

Civil and Human Rights Coalition Rebukes Attorney General Sessions’ Oversight Hearing Testimony

Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement following Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ appearance before a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing:

“President Trump has emboldened and enabled hate and division in our country – and Attorney General Sessions is a powerful leader of his divisive agenda. From restricting voting rights, to putting immigrant youth at risk, to issuing a license to discriminate against LGBTQ people, Sessions is at the forefront of this administration’s actions to roll back important civil and human rights protections.

Despite probing questioning by Democratic senators, led by Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein, Sessions failed to justify the Trump administration’s systematic effort to undermine civil rights laws and protections. Sessions also ducked important questions about his office’s collusion with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to remove key DACA protections, and with Justice Department involvement with Trump’s sham voter suppression commission.

The significant powers of the Justice Department should not be wielded to serve President Trump’s divisive political agenda. America needs an Attorney General who will enforce our civil rights laws and protect all people. Until that is the case, Congress must continue to use its significant oversight powers to hold Sessions and the rest of the Trump administration accountable for their harmful and dangerous attacks on civil and human rights.”