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US: Jeff Sessions confirmed as Attorney General

By  |  February 8, 2017

A closely divided Senate confirmed the nomination of Jeff Sessions to be attorney general on Wednesday after a historically tumultuous confirmation process that saw the senator from Alabama come under fire for his views on race and civil rights.

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    All but one Democrat voted against confirming Sessions, while his Republican colleagues unanimously backed him. The final tally of senators was 52 to 47.

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    Many senators broke into applause after the vote over one of its own members being elevated to the cabinet. But they were almost all Republicans. A handful of Democrats, including Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Bill Nelson of Florida, gave a few polite claps.

    The confirmation process for Sessions, a four-term senator, tested the Senate’s norms of treating colleagues with deference.

    Sessions came under scrutiny for his past record on civil rights. He had previously been nominated to be a federal district judge in 1986 by the then president Ronald Reagan but allegations of racism torpedoed his nomination, which was voted down in committee.

    Full Content: RT

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