why is sessions bad for attorney general

Why did Jeff Sessions resign as Attorney General?

With all the attention lately on President Trump’s complaints about Attorney General Jeff Sessions, there has been very little focus on the genuine problems with Sessions’ job performance. In six key areas – voting rights, hate crimes, federal criminal law and mass incarceration, police reform, immigration, and civil rights enforcement – Sessions has …

Does sessions have lawyered up too?

Jan 09, 2017 · In short, Sessions’ failure to stand up to higher-ranking and other GOP officials who were willing to act in legally or ethically questionable ways is deeply disturbing when viewed through the lens...

Does Jeff Sessions face perjury claims?

Jan 12, 2017 · There are many other reasons why Sessions is the wrong choice for attorney general, and unfit to serve in these times. Here are three. 1. His unqualified support for law enforcement is a problem....

Did Attorney General Jeff Sessions order the death penalty for drug dealers?

Jan 06, 2017 · Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to be U.S. attorney general. President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., for attorney general ...

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Nov 07, 2018 · Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned Wednesday at President Donald Trump's request. The announcement -- made by Trump on Twitter -- came the day after the midterm elections.

What did Sessions do to protect civil rights?

Sessions’ efforts to dismantle civil rights and civil liberties protection s gained during prior administrations are especially apparent when it comes to criminal justice. He rescinded multiple Obama-era memos, including one that directed federal resources away from enforcing federal drug laws in states that have legalized medical or recreational use of marijuana. The move was part of the former attorney general’s fear-driven agenda to reinvigorate the War on Drugs and to systematically dismantle his predecessors’ efforts to reduce federal imprisonment rates. Among those efforts was Sessions’ directive to prosecutors to bring the harshest possible cases against defendants — including people like Marion Hungerford, a mentally ill woman who was sentenced to 159 years in federal prison for helping to commit a string of armed robberies, even though she never touched the gun.

What did Sessions do to help the separation of families?

Sessions did everything in his power to speed up deportations and aid the separation of families, issuing a series of policies that trampled on due process. The Justice Department ended a program to notify immigrants of their rights during deportation cases, set arbitrary and unreasonable quotas for immigration judges, and repeatedly overruled immigration court and Board of Immigration Appeals' decisions on his own initiative.

Who is the Senate Minority Leader who resigned from the Mueller investigation?

Democrats expressed alarm after the announcement. Upon hearing the news of Sessions’ resignation, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters that “protecting Mueller and his investigation is paramount.”. He also called on Whitaker to remove himself from the Russia probe.

What did Whitaker say about Mueller?

Before he took a job at the Justice Department, Whitaker wrote an op-ed saying Mueller “is dangerously close to crossing” a “red line” in the Russia probe if he looked at Trump or his family’s finances.

Did Trump say he didn't have an attorney general?

For more than a year, Trump has repeatedly lambasted Sessions over his recusal, saying he wouldn’t have installed him as the country’s top law enforcement officer had he known his attorney general would recuse himself from the Russia probe. In September, Trump said of his strained relationship with Sessions, “I don’t have an attorney general.

What did the Democratic leader of the House Judiciary Committee call for?

The Democratic leader of the House Judiciary Committee called for “answers immediately as to the reasoning” behind Sessions’ removal. His statement comes a day after Democrats retook the House, giving them the power to launch investigations.

Who resigned from the Trump Administration?

A look at the resignation from Attorney General of Jeff Sessions from the Trump Administration and the Attorney General's growing tension with President Trump, including his recusal from the Russia investigation.

Did Jeff Sessions resign?

Jeff Sessions, once one of President Trump’s most loyal and trusted advisers before infuriating Trump over his recusal from the Russia investigation, has resigned as attorney general at the request of the president. “At your request, I am submitting my resignation,” Sessions wrote in a Wednesday letter to Trump.

Is Whitaker overseeing the Russia investigation?

Trump and his aides have denied any collusion with the Russians. Sources told Fox News Whitaker will now be overseeing the Russia investigation.

When was Sessions sworn in as Attorney General?

He was confirmed and sworn in as Attorney General in February 2017. In his confirmation hearings, Sessions stated under oath that he did not have contact with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential campaign and that he was unaware of any contact between Trump campaign members and Russian officials.

What did Sessions say at the 2017 police week?

Sessions's views on drugs and crime have since softened.

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.

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.

Why did Sessions write a letter to the National Endowment for the Humanities?

In 2013, Sessions sent a letter to National Endowment for the Humanities enquiring why the foundation funded projects that he deemed frivolous. He also criticized the foundation for distributing books related to Islam to hundreds of U.S. libraries, saying "Using taxpayer dollars to fund education program grant questions that are very indefinite or in an effort to seemingly use Federal funds on behalf of just one religion, does not on its face appear to be the appropriate means to establish confidence in the American people that NEH expenditures are wise."

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 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."

Immigration

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Criminal Justice

Transgender Rights

Voting Rights

After Sessions