Wasserman Schultz Statement on Senator Jeff Sessions’ Confirmation Hearing

Washington, DC – U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) issued the following statement in advance of his confirmation hearing:

“When Senator Jeff Sessions begins his confirmation hearing today, Americans of every race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and sexual orientation will want to hear how he will protect our constitutional rights. From safeguarding our sacred right to vote, to ensuring women are treated equally under the law in sexual assault crimes, to protecting our LGBT brothers and sisters, our nation’s Attorney General must be on the side of people who are historically marginalized by the law.

“Unfortunately, Senator Sessions has a steep mountain to climb during his confirmation hearing. He has a long and disturbing track record of barring the schoolhouse door on voting rights, including Sessions’ decision to prosecute a close advisor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The NAACP has strongly opposed his nomination, saying that he has “callously ignored the reality of voter suppression but zealously prosecuted innocent civil rights leaders on trumped-up charges of voter fraud. As an opponent of the vote, he can’t be trusted to be the chief law enforcement officer for voting rights.”

“A coalition of organizations dedicated to combatting sexual assault around the country has also exposed Senator Sessions’ shameful record on protecting women, including his vote against the Violence Against Women Act in 2013 and his highly questionable prosecutorial record. He has also used his vote and his voice to oppose LGBT rights legislation, while also supporting a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

“Senator Sessions’ voting record and body of work in public life makes it clear he stands on the wrong side of history and progress in our nation, and the United States Senate should reject his nomination as Attorney General.”

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