what was the actual vote for jeff sessions for attorney general

by Samir Parker 9 min read

See more

On February 8, 2017, the Senate voted 52-47 to confirm Sessions as attorney general. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) was the only Democrat to vote for Sessions. Nomination The Trump transition team announced on November 18, 2016, that President Donald Trump intended to nominate Sessions to serve as attorney general.

image

When did Sessions run for reelection?

Sessions won re-election in the 2014 election for the U.S. Senate, representing Alabama. He ran completely unopposed in both the Republican primary on June 3, 2014, and the general election in November.

Why did the Senate refuse to confirm Sessions?

In 1985, former President Ronald Reagan nominated Sessions to a seat on the United States District Court in Alabama, but the Senate Judiciary Committee refused to move forward with his confirmation vote due to accusations of racial insensitivity.

What is OpenCongress?

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.

What did Sessions say about the rescission of the DACA?

During a press briefing announcing the rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Sessions said, "Simply put if we are to further our goal of strengthening the constitutional order and rule of law in America, the Department of Justice cannot defend this overreach."

How many delegates did Alabama have in 2016?

Alabama had 50 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 21 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's seven congressional districts). Alabama's district-level delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the vote in a congressional district in order to have received any of that district's delegates. The highest vote-getter in a district was allocated two of the district's three delegates; the second highest vote-getter received the remaining delegate. If only one candidate met the 20 percent threshold in a district, he or she won all of the district's delegates. If no candidate won at least 20 percent of the vote, then the 20 percent threshold was discarded. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote in a district, he or she received all three of that district's delegates.

What did Sessions say about immigration?

And such a nation must have a lawful system of immigration. I am not aware of any advanced nation that does not understand this fundamental tenet. And let no one contend that we reject immigration and want to 'wall off America' from all lawful immigration. President Trump and the American people know what’s happening. We admit 1.1 million immigrants lawfully to permanent legal status—green card status—every year, the highest numbers in the world. Indeed, at this unprecedented rate we will soon have the largest percentage of non-native born in our nation’s history with the percentage continuing to rise every year thereafter. Thus, the good and decent people of this country are right to insist that this country should end the illegality, create a rational immigration flow, and protect the nation from criminal aliens. It cannot be that someone who illegally crosses the border and two days later arrives in Sacramento, Dubuque, Louisville, and Central Islip is home free—never to be removed. It cannot be the policy of a great nation to up and reward those who unlawfully enter its country with legal status, Social Security, welfare, food stamps, and work permits. Meanwhile those who engage in this process lawfully and patiently and wait their turn are discriminated against at every turn. Most Americans get this. They are working hard to make ends meet, follow the rules, and try to keep their loved ones safe."

How many roll call votes did Sessions miss?

According to the website GovTrack, Sessions missed 126 of 6,002 roll call votes from January 1997 to September 2015. This amounts to 2.1 percent, which is worse than the median of 1.6 percent among current senators as of September 2015.

Who voted for Sessions?

One Democrat, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, joined Republicans in voting to confirm Sessions. Sessions himself voted present.

Why was Sessions' nomination rejected?

The debate had been intensified by Sessions’ nomination to a federal judgeship three decades ago, which was rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee after it was alleged that as a federal prosecutor he had called a black attorney "boy" and had said organizations like the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union were un-American.

What did Sessions say in his farewell address?

In his farewell address Wednesday evening, Sessions urged his erstwhile colleagues to get along better following days of bruising debate.

Who is Trump accusing of obstructing the confirmation process?

President Trump has accused Democrats of obstructing the confirmation process, though the Senate will turn next to votes on the president’s picks to lead the health and treasury departments.

Did Sessions say he had racial animus?

At his hearing last month, Sessions said he had never harbored racial animus and claimed he had been falsely caricatured.

When was Sessions elected?

Sessions was first elected in 1997, and since then, the state has been represented by two Republican senators. In his last election, in 2014, Sessions was unchallenged and won the general election with more than 97 percent of the vote. The senior senator from Alabama, Richard Shelby, was elected for the first time in 1987 and is not up for reelection until 2022.

Why was Roy Moore suspended?

Roy Moore previously served as the chief justice for the Alabama Supreme Court, but was suspended in November 2003 for refusing federal court orders to take down a Ten Commandments monument from the Alabama Judicial Building.

image