why does jeff sessions want to be attorney general

by Ms. Gwendolyn Reichel 7 min read

Who is Attorney General Jeff Sessions?

Jan 10, 2017 · She goes on to articulate that as an attorney, Sessions was instrumental in several politically motivated, voting fraud prosecutions and is unfit to be a US judiciary. This same principle can be applied to the role of Attorney General where he can use the immigration laws to continue fear mongering amongst minorities.

What is Jeff Sessions'position on immigration?

Nov 08, 2018 · Why Jeff Sessions' ouster as attorney general is so important. What matters is not just the Trump-vs-Sessions drama; it's also what happens to …

Did president Trump ask Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reverse his recuse?

May 03, 2018 · FILE – In this March 6, 2017 file photo, Attorney General Jeff Sessions waits to make a statement at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in Washington. Sessions is seeking the resignations of 46 United States attorneys who were appointed during the prior presidential administration, the Justice Department said Friday, March 10, 2017.

What did Jeff Sessions do for Alabama Public Schools?

Mar 03, 2017 · A special counsel needs to be appointed. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recuses himself from investigations relating to the election. Watch here. But that won’t solve the larger problem. Sessions’...

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Nov 09, 2018 · L ess than 24 hours after U.S. midterm elections wrapped up, Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned at the request of President Donald Trump. Sessions’ chief of staff Matthew Whitaker was asked ...

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Who was Jeff Sessions Deputy AG?

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Rod Jay Rosenstein (/ˈroʊzənˌstaɪn/; born January 13, 1965) is an American attorney who served as the 37th United States deputy attorney general from April 2017 until May 2019.

Who was attorney general after sessions?

Matthew WhitakerPreceded byJeff SessionsSucceeded byWilliam BarrChief of Staff to the United States Attorney GeneralIn office September 22, 2017 – November 7, 201822 more rows

Who is Matt Whitaker married to?

Marci WhitakerMatthew Whitaker / Spouse

Are Jeff and Pete Sessions related?

Pete Sessions is not related to former Senator and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

1. Controversial from the start

Sessions’ tenure began back in early 2017. During his confirmation hearings, Sessions testified incorrectly under oath that he had had no contacts with Russian officials during his active role in the 2016 Trump campaign. When it became public that he had met with the Russian ambassador, he claimed he had not lied.

2. Crackdown on drugs

Sessions enthusiastically waged the war on drugs, much to the chagrin of those who considered that war a proven failure.

When was Sessions elected?

Sessions was elected Attorney General of Alabama in November 1994, unseating incumbent Democrat Jimmy Evans with 57% of the vote. The harsh criticism he had received from Senator Edward Kennedy, who called him a "throw-back to a shameful era" and a "disgrace", was considered to have won him the support of Alabama conservatives.

How many children does Jeff Sessions have?

Sessions and his wife Mary have three children and as of March 2020, ten grandchildren. The family attends a United Methodist church. Specifically, Jeff and Mary Sessions are members of the Ashland Place United Methodist Church in Mobile, Alabama; Jeff Sessions has taught Sunday school there.

Why did Trump nominate Sessions?

Trump would later state in an August 22, 2018 interview with Fox News' Ainsley Earhardt that the only reason he nominated Sessions was because Sessions was an original supporter during his presidential campaign. The nomination engendered support and opposition from various groups and individuals. He was introduced by Senator Susan Collins from Maine who said, "He's a decent individual with a strong commitment to the rule of law. He's a leader of integrity. I think the attacks against him are not well founded and are unfair." More than 1,400 law school professors wrote a letter urging the Senate to reject the nomination. A group of black pastors rallied in support of Sessions in advance of his confirmation hearing; his nomination was supported by Gerald A. Reynolds, an African American former chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. Six NAACP activists, including NAACP President Cornell William Brooks, were arrested at a January 2017 sit-in protesting the nomination.

What did Al Franken say about the Russians?

Sessions replied that he was "not aware of any of those activities" and said "I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign and I didn't have – did not have communications with the Russians, and I'm unable to comment on it."

Who is Coretta Scott King?

Coretta Scott King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr. wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee to oppose the nomination. In her letter, she wrote that "Mr. Sessions has used the awesome powers of his office in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly black voters.".

Why did Sessions ask Congress to repeal the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment?

In a May 2017 letter, Sessions personally asked congressional leaders to repeal the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment so that the Justice Department could prosecute providers of medical marijuana. The Rohrabacher–Farr amendment is a 2014 measure that bars the Justice Department from using federal funds to prevent states "from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession or cultivation of medical marijuana". Sessions wrote in the letter that "I believe it would be unwise for Congress to restrict the discretion of the Department to fund particular prosecutions, particularly in the midst of an historic drug epidemic and potentially long-term uptick in violent crime." John Hudak of the Brookings Institution criticized the letter, stating that it was a "scare tactic" that "should make everyone openly question whether candidate Trump's rhetoric and the White House's words on his support for medical marijuana was actually a lie to the American public on an issue that garners broad, bipartisan support."

What did Sessions say about sanctuary cities?

On March 27, 2017, Sessions told reporters that sanctuary cities failing to comply with policies of the Trump administration would lose federal funding, and cited the shooting of Kathryn Steinle as an example of an illegal immigrant committing a heinous crime.

What Happened This Week

L ess than 24 hours after U.S. midterm elections wrapped up, Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned at the request of President Donald Trump. Sessions’ chief of staff Matthew Whitaker was asked to take the helm of the Justice Department until a new Attorney General is confirmed by the Senate. Cue the political firestorm.

Why It Matters

Given his role in the Trump campaign, Sessions had recused himself from overseeing the special counsel’s investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, leaving oversight of the Mueller investigation to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

What Happens Next

The Democrats will scream about “obstruction of justice,” but there’s not much they can do about it until January when the next Congress gets sworn in — and even then, their options are limited.

The One Major Misconception About It

That Donald Trump is now in a stronger position because a loyalist is ready to take the reins of the Mueller investigation. If you don’t think Mueller expected a move like this from Trump post-midterms, you don’t know Robert Mueller. For Trump, the danger remains, it just changes shape.

The One Thing You Should Read About It

This op-ed Whitaker wrote for CNN back in August 2017, before he joined the Trump administration. It’s the closest to an unvarnished opinion on the Mueller Investigation from Whitaker that we’re likely to get.

The Smart Thing to Say About It

Democrats winning back the House isn’t entirely bad for Trump. He now has a concrete enemy in Congress to do battle with, and he gets to make the Mueller investigation a partisan fight between him and Congressional Democrats, which is where he thrives.

What No One Is Saying About It

I enjoyed those 12 hours of downtime we got from US politics on Wednesday morning. Really rejuvenating.

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Controversial from The Start

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Sessions’ tenure began back in early 2017. During his confirmation hearings, Sessions testified incorrectly under oath that he had had no contacts with Russian officials during his active role in the 2016 Trump campaign. When it became public that he had met with the Russian ambassador, he claimed he had not lied. But be…
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Crackdown on Drugs

  • Sessions enthusiastically waged the war on drugs, much to the chagrin of those who considered that war a proven failure. Sessions instructed prosecutors to seek the maximum possible sentences for drug offenses and in 2017 reversed an Obama-era Department of Justice policythat barred the Department of Justice from contracting with private prisons. He also reversed the Ob…
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‘Zero Tolerance’ at The Border

  • On immigration, Sessions faithfully put into action the tough talk of the president – even where, some would say, supporting evidence was lacking. Research shows that immigrants commit fewer crimes in the U.S. than non-immigrants. But Sessions often falsely claimed that there was a strong correlation between immigration – including legal immigration – and crime, including terr…
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Overview

Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 84th United States Attorney General from 2017 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as United States Senator from Alabama from 1997 to 2017 before resigning that position to serve as Attorney General in the administration of President Donald …

Alabama attorney general (1995–1997)

Sessions was elected Attorney General of Alabama in November 1994, unseating incumbent Democrat Jimmy Evans with 57% of the vote. The harsh criticism he had received from Senator Ted Kennedy, who called him a "throw-back to a shameful era" and a "disgrace", was considered to have won him the support of Alabama conservatives.

Early life and early career

Sessions was born in Selma, Alabama, on December 24, 1946, the son of Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, Jr., and the former Abbie Powe. Sessions, his father, and his grandfather were named after Jefferson Davis, a U.S. senator and president of the Confederate States of America, and P. G. T. Beauregard, a veteran of the Mexican-American War and a Confederate general who oversaw the Battle of Fort Sumter that commenced the American Civil War. His father owned a general st…

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama (1981–1993)

Sessions was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama beginning in 1975. In 1981, President Reagan nominated him to be the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. The Senate confirmed him and he held that position for twelve years. In 1993, Sessions resigned his post after Democrat Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States.

Failed nomination for federal trial court judgeship (1986)

In 1986, Reagan nominated Sessions to be a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. Sessions's judicial nomination was recommended and actively backed by Republican Alabama senator Jeremiah Denton. A substantial majority of the American Bar AssociationStanding Committee on the Federal Judiciary, which rates nominees to the federal bench, rated Sessions "qualified", with a minority voting tha…

U.S. Senate (1997–2017)

In 1996, Sessions won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, after a runoff, and then defeated Democrat Roger Bedford 53%–46% in the November general election. He succeeded Howell Heflin (a Democrat), who had retired after 18 years in the Senate, making his victory a Republican pickup in the Senate.
Following the Columbine High School massacrein April 1999, Sessions took pa…

Attorney General of the United States (2017–2018)

President-elect Trump announced on November 18, 2016, that he would nominate Sessions to be Attorney General of the United States. Trump would later state in an August 22, 2018 interview with Fox News' Ainsley Earhardtthat the only reason he nominated Sessions was because Sessions was an original supporter during his presidential campaign. The nomination engendered supp…

U.S. Senate campaign (2020)

In October 2019, Sessions began exploring a potential candidacy for his old Senate seat in the 2020 election. On November 7, 2019, Sessions, the night before the deadline to file in the hyper-competitive Republican race, announced his candidacy. The winner of the Republican primary would challenge incumbent Democrat Doug Jones.