Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced Thursday that he will vote against Sen. Jeff Sessions’ (R-AL) confirmation to Attorney General. In a statement released early Thursday morning, the top Democrat said he was concerned that Sessions would not act as an appropriate check on President-elect Donald Trump.
“After reviewing his record and giving careful consideration to his answers during the hearing, I am not confident in Senator Sessions’ ability to be a defender of the rights of all Americans, or to serve as an independent check on the incoming administration,” Schumer said. “I am also deeply concerned by his views on immigration, which I saw firsthand during the push for comprehensive immigration reform. For those reasons, I will oppose his nomination to serve as the next Attorney General.”
Other Senate Democrats, such as Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), have indicated that they will oppose Sessions’ confirmation. However, because Democrats made changes to the filibuster rules when they controlled the Senate, Sessions will only need a majority vote on the floor to be confirmed.