Trump Cabinet Senate Confirmation Hearings
Watch the latest developments in the Senate confirmation hearings of a handful of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks.
3rd & 7 37yd
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Welcome to ABC News' liveblog of the Trump cabinet Senate confirmation hearings. It's going to be a busy week on Capitol Hill, starting off with the confirmation hearing for Sen. Jeff Sessions, R - AL, Trump's pick for Attorney General.
Sessions' hearing is set to start at 9:30 a.m. so stay tuned for up-to-the-minute updates throughout the day. -
Sessions' confirmation hearing could be one of the most contentious of the bunch, as his nomination has already prompted protests and arrests.
NAACP president Cornell William Brooks was arrested after staging a sit-in at Sessions' Alabama office last week. Brooks cited Sessions’ silence on numerous laws that he believes are targeted efforts to restrict the voting rights of minority communities in states like Alabama, North Carolina and throughout the South.
Brooks is far from the only one upset, with a group of 1,140 faculty members from law schools across the country penning a letter opposing Sessions' selection. The letter took aim at controversy surrounding Sessions' 1986 confirmation hearing for a federal judgeship, as Sessions was rejected by the Senate Judiciary Committee at that time "due to statements Sessions had made that reflected prejudice against African-Americans," the letter states.
The legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, David Cole, is testifying at Sessions' hearing. The nonpartisan group released a statement today announcing Cole's scheduled testimony, saying that it does not typically participate in such hearings, "however, the organization is taking the extraordinary step of testifying in this hearing because Sen. Sessions’ record raises significant, serious questions about his hostility to civil rights and civil liberties."
Another possible flashpoint for Sessions comes from comments he has made about drug use and the legalization of marijuana. At a Senate hearing last April, Sessions said that "good people don't smoke marijuana" and it is "not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized."
Read more about the possible flashpoints here. -
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Sen. Chuck Grassley says that the point of the hearing today is to "review the character and qualifications of a colleague who has served besides us."
He went on to call Sessions "distinguished" and "thoughtful."
"We know him well. We know the policy positions he has taken as a legislator," said Grassley, R-IA, who is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. -
Before Grassley started speaking, there was some commotion in the hearing room.
ABC News' MaryAlice Parks is on Capitol Hill and reports that two protesters were removed from Sessions' hearing before it started.
They were wearing KKK-style gowns and hoods. They shouted about Sessions being a racist that needed to be stopped. -
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A Code Pink protester just now escorted out of Sessions confirmation hearing.by Katherine Faulders via twitter 1/10/2017 3:08:54 PM
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Collins says she's there to "offer my support for his nomination" - and on cue, more pink-clad protestors speak up and get kicked outby Rick Klein via twitter 1/10/2017 3:09:18 PM
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More protesters dragged out of Sen. Sessions confirmation hearing. facebook.com/ABCNews/videos… http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C10ZjZVXgAA0x_I.jpg
by Dan Linden via twitter 1/10/2017 3:17:18 PM -
by Dan Linden via twitter 1/10/2017 3:17:39 PM
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Sessions said that "the country is also in the throws of a heroin epidemic."
He has spoken extensively about his opposition to drugs in the past, including marijuana. At a Senate hearing last April, Sessions said that "good people don't smoke marijuana" and it is "not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized."
Adam Eidinger, the leader of a marijuana legalization activist group DCMJ, told ABC News that supporters plan to wait in line "for three days" to make sure that they get seats in the audience for Sessions' confirmation hearing, which is scheduled to take place over Tuesday and Wednesday.
"It's going to smell like marijuana in that hearing because we smell like marijuana because we're going to smoke legally before it," he said. -
"I deeply understand the history of civil rights and the horrendous impact that relentless and systemic discrimination and the denial of voting rights has had on our African American brothers and sisters. I have witnessed it. I understand the demands for justice and fairness made by the LGBT community. I understand the lifelong scars born by women who are victims of assault and abuse," Sessions said.
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Protesters dressed in KKK garb escorted out of Sessions confirmation hearing: "Senator Sessions is a racist"… twitter.com/i/web/status/8…by ABC News Politics via twitter 1/10/2017 3:33:40 PM
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.@SenatorSessions: Dept. of Justice "must never falter" in protecting civil rights "of every American."… twitter.com/i/web/status/8…by ABC News Politics via twitter 1/10/2017 3:33:42 PM
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.@SenatorSessions: "I abhor the Klan and what it represents and its hateful ideology." abcn.ws/2ic4G2Q http://pbs.twimg.com/media/C10ds3fXUAA2KFw.jpg
by This Week via twitter 1/10/2017 3:39:41 PM -
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.@SenatorSessions: Attorney general "would have to resign" if asked to do something "plainly unlawful"… twitter.com/i/web/status/8…by ABC News Politics via twitter 1/10/2017 3:51:45 PM
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When asked about Roe V. Wade, Sessions said that he believes "it violated the constitution," but accepts it.
"It is the law of the land, it has been established and settled for quite some time... and I would respect it and follow it," he said.
He also said that he believes the Supreme Court has decided on the issue of same sex marriage and does not expect to see it changed. -
Sessions on same-sex marriage SCOTUS case: "I will follow that decision."by Ryan Struyk via twitter 1/10/2017 3:59:03 PM
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Everything you need to know about Sen. Jeff Sessions, Pres.-elect Trump's pick for attorney general.… twitter.com/i/web/status/8…by ABC News via twitter 1/10/2017 4:03:00 PM
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Sessions: "I did not harbor the race-based ideas that I was accused of" when he served as US Attorney in Alabama + was up for fed judgeshipby Ali Weinberg via twitter 1/10/2017 4:07:09 PM
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Senator pro tempore Orrin Hatch accuses opponents on left of creating a caricature of him, other "dirty tactics"by Ali Weinberg via twitter 1/10/2017 4:07:11 PM
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.@SenatorSessions "would consider" reestablishing unit dedicated to prosecuting crimes of "adult obscenity"… twitter.com/i/web/status/8…by ABC News Politics via twitter 1/10/2017 4:17:43 PM
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Sessions says he doesn't support Muslim "ban," but: "Many people do have religious views that are inimical to the public safety of the US."by Rick Klein via twitter 1/10/2017 4:27:42 PM
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.@LindseyGrahamSC, after protester disrupts Sessions confirmation hearing: "I think they're on the fence about GTMO… twitter.com/i/web/status/8…by ABC News Politics via twitter 1/10/2017 4:41:02 PM
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.@SenatorSessions: "I believe the American people spoke clearly in this election; I believe they agreed with my bas… twitter.com/i/web/status/8…by ABC News Politics via twitter 1/10/2017 5:01:19 PM
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