Senator Jeff Sessions was confirmed as Attorney General by a vote of 52-47. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia was the only Democrat to vote for Sessions, while Sen. Sessions himself voted present.
CLIP: U.S. Senate confirms Sen. Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General, 52-47. https://t.co/N9qPdAy0Rf pic.twitter.com/cJkEXv2RvD
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 9, 2017
Sessions had been expected to be confirmed this evening despite the efforts of Democrats to delay his confirmation. From the NY Times:
Despite a series of fierce, last-minute attacks by Democrats, no Republicans showed any sign of breaking ranks in support of Mr. Sessions’s bid to become the nation’s top law enforcement official after two decades as a Republican senator.
“Everybody in this body knows Senator Sessions well, knows that he is a man of integrity, a man of principle,” Senator Dan Sullivan, an Alaska Republican, said during the debate on Wednesday afternoon, echoing the sentiments of many Republicans. The “twisting” of Mr. Sessions’s record offended him, he said.
One of the big stories today was the decision by Mitch McConnell to silence Senator Elizabeth Warren last night. There is some debate on whether or not this was part of a grand plan by McConnell or just an expression of frustration with Democratic obstruction. In any case, it certainly seems to be giving Warren all the attention she craves.
Meanwhile, Republican Senator Tim Scott gave a 30-minute speech explaining his support for Jeff Sessions to be the next Attorney General and, about midway through his speech, he read a selection of tweets attacking him for his decision. Scott noted that he left out the attacks using the n-word:
.@SenatorTimScott reads tweets criticizing his endorsement of Sen. Jeff Sessions: "I left out all the ones that use the n-word." pic.twitter.com/AhTnGaUyiz
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 8, 2017
Update: Here’s Elizabeth Warren’s response. The first couple tweets seem like normal political disagreement but by the end she’s talking about “Session’s radical hatred”:
I’m deeply disappointed that the Senate voted to confirm Jeff Sessions as Attorney General tonight.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 9, 2017
Deeply disappointed that the Senate confirmed an AG whose record does not show he will faithfully & fairly enforce the law.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 9, 2017
There’s no Rule 19 to silence me from talking about Jeff Sessions anymore. So let me say loudly & clearly: This is just the beginning.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 9, 2017
If Jeff Sessions turns a blind eye while @realDonaldTrump violates the Constitution or breaks the law, he'll hear from all of us.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 9, 2017
If Jeff Sessions makes even the tiniest attempt to bring his racism, sexism & bigotry into @TheJusticeDept, he'll hear from all of us.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 9, 2017
And you better believe every Senator who voted to put Jeff Sessions’s radical hatred into @TheJusticeDept will hear from all of us, too.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 9, 2017
Consider this MY warning: We won’t be silent. We will speak out. And we WILL persist.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 9, 2017
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