The Senate Approves Jeff Sessions for Attorney General
By USABR.
Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement after the Senate voted to confirm Senator Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, to serve as the 84th Attorney General of the United States:
“Having served with Jeff Sessions for more than twenty years, I know him to be a man of integrity, honesty, and fairness. As Attorney General, Jeff will return the Justice Department to its core mission of enforcing and defending our nation’s laws. In doing so, he will restore the Department’s reputation for even-handedly administering justice for all Americans after years of disturbing mismanagement and politicization. As the longest-serving member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I look forward to working with him in this vital endeavor.”
“Given that Jeff is one of the most qualified Attorney General nominees in history and has long enjoyed the respect of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I find it extraordinarily disheartening that his confirmation process devolved into such a partisan spectacle. The responsibility for this debacle rests solely with Senate Democrats, who kow-towed to the worst obstructionists instincts of their left-wing base. Their scorched-earth tactics wrongly impugned the integrity of this good man by painting a caricature of their fellow senator that they knew to be completely inconsistent with reality. Going forward, I hope they will reconsider their approach so that we may avoid lasting damage to the confirmation process and the Senate as an institution.”
When Senator Sessions was nominated to serve as Attorney General, Senator Hatch said, “I am confident he will help get the Justice Department back on track.” That full statement can be found here.
Hatch also published an op-ed titled “Putting the Justice Department back on track: Jeff Sessions is the right choice for attorney general” in the Washington Times.
Hatch also met with Sessions in his office. Following the meeting, Hatch said, “Some of the key areas I believe we can work well together on include antitrust enforcement, intellectual property protections, mens rea reform, and support for American law enforcement.” The full release can be found here.
Prior to his confirmation hearing, Senator Hatch spoke on the Senate floor urging his colleagues to confirm Senator Sessions as Attorney General. The full speech can be found here.
