Franken Can’t Get Past Sessions’ Civil Rights Record
Washington D.C. – Sen. Al Franken announced Friday morning he will vote against Attorney General nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions confirmation.
Sen. Al Franken told Morning Joe that he plans to vote against Trump's AG nominee Sen. Jeff Sessions: https://t.co/kJHpibeOX7
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) January 13, 2017
“I just don’t feel comfortable that he would protect all Americans’ rights,” Franken told the hosts of MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
This comes after Franken accused Sessions of lying about his civil rights record during the confirmation hearing earlier this week. Franken doubled-down on his accusations writing in a Facebook post that the Attorney General must “have a commitment to equal justice and a deep understanding of the law.”
While some lawmakers seem set on undermining Sessions’ civil rights record, others are fervently defending the nominee. Sen. Ted Cruz used a portion of his questioning to repudiate Franken’s attacks on Sessions.
“It is particularly unfortunate when that attack is not backed up by the facts,” Cruz said during the confirmation hearing. “There is no question you have been forthright with this committee.”
Sen. Sessions needs 51 votes to be confirmed. The Senate has 52 Republicans, 46 Democrats, and 2 Independents. Voting is expected to take place very shortly after President-elect Trump’s inauguration.
