Donald Trump administration Attorney General appointment, 2017
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Following his election as the 45th President of the United States in 2016, Donald Trump and his transition team considered individuals to fill the position of attorney general. Jeff Sessions was confirmed to the position on February 8, 2017.
The United States Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States Government and is in charge of the United States Department of Justice. For current information about officials within the U.S. Department of Justice, click here.
Timeline[edit]
The following timeline highlights noteworthy events related to this appointment.
Nomination[edit]
Trump nominated Sen. Jeff Sessions (R) on November 18, 2016.[1]
Confirmation hearing[edit]
On December 14, 2016, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), chair of the Judiciary Committee responsible for Sessions' initial confirmation hearing, scheduled the committee hearings for January 10 and 11, 2017.[2]
Below are some of the key moments from Sessions' confirmation hearing.
- On his failed nomination for a federal judgeship in the 1980s: In 1986, President Ronald Reagan nominated Sessions for U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Alabama. The Senate Judiciary Committee, at the time controlled by Republicans, voted 10-8 against his nomination over allegations that Sessions had made racist remarks throughout his professional career as a lawyer and as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. Sessions addressed this issue at the end of his opening statements, calling allegations of racism, “damnably false charges” and saying, “the caricature of me in 1986 was not correct. I do not harbor the kind of animosity and race-based discrimination ideas that I was accused of. I did not.”
- On a temporary ban on Muslims from entering the country: In the wake of a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, in 2015, Trump suggested imposing a ban on Muslims from entering the country. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the highest ranking Democratic on the committee, asked Sessions, “Do you agree with the president elect that the United States can or should deny entry to all members of a particular religion?” Sessions responded by saying that Trump has since clarified his stance to be that “the focus should be on individuals coming from countries that have a history of terrorism.” Sessions added, “I do not support the idea that Muslims as a religious group should be denied admission to the United States.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) followed up by asking, “Would you support a law that says you can't come to America because you're a Muslim.” Sessions responded, “No.”
- On the Voting Rights Act: In response to a question from Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) about a statement he made in the past about the Voting Rights Act, in which he called the law intrusive, Sessions responded, “It is intrusive. The Supreme Court on more than one occasion has described it legally as an intrusive act, because you’re only focused on a certain number of states. Normally when Congress passes law it applies to the whole country. So it’s a very unusual thing for a law to be passed that targets only a few states, but they had a factual basis.” Sessions added that the Voting Rights Act was “one of the most important acts to deal with racial difficulties that we faced. It changed the whole course of history — particularly in the South.” He noted that he voted to extend the Voting Rights Act in 2005.
Confirmation[edit]
Sessions was confirmed by the Senate on February 8, 2017, by a 52-47 vote along party lines.[3]
Considered candidates for Attorney General[edit]
The table below highlights individuals who were either nominated to the position by Trump or were mentioned in the media as potential nominees.
| Considered candidates for Attorney General | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Notable experience | Source | |
| Rudy Giuliani | Former mayor of New York City | ABC News | |
| Chris Christie | Gov. of New Jersey | ABC News | |
| Pam Bondi | Attorney General of Florida | Buzzfeed | |
| Trey Gowdy | U.S. Representative from South Carolina | ABC News | |
Jeff Sessions  |
Senator from Alabama | ABC News | |
| David Clarke Jr. | Sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin | ABC News | |
| Kris Kobach | Kansas secretary of state | Politico | |
| Henry McMaster | Lt. Gov. of South Carolina | The State | |
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
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