Sessions Turns Family Separations Into Well-Received Punchline At GOP Event

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 15: Attorney General Jeff Sessions (L) and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar applaud as US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the 37th Annual National Peace Officers' Memorial... WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 15: Attorney General Jeff Sessions (L) and Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar applaud as US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the 37th Annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service at the U.S. Capitol Building on May 15, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images) MORE LESS

During a speech to a conservative criminal justice organization in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions called critics of the Trump administration’s family separations “the lunatic fringe” and joked about the policy to laughter and applause, according to a Tuesday Hill report.

“The rhetoric we hear from the other side on this issue, as on many others, has become radicalized,” Sessions said. “We hear views on television today that are on the lunatic fringe, frankly.”

“And what is perhaps more galling is the hypocrisy,” he continued. “These same people live in gated communities, many of them, and are featured at events where you have to have an ID to even come in and hear them speak. They like a little security around themselves.”

“And if you try to scale the fence, believe me, they’d be even too happy to have you arrested and separated from your children,” he said. The room erupted into laughter and cheers.

“They want borders in their lives, but not in yours,” he concluded.

Watch below:

63
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Every time I think these vile bastards can sink no lower - they do. The fact that this bitter, old racist is our Attorney General is an insult to us all.

  2. Avatar for fgs fgs says:

    We’re all immigrants now, if Republicans keep power too much longer. This doesn’t end with big raises for American labor, but with people living with their parents until they’re 40 because they can’t afford an $800 apartment on 8 bucks an hour. Family values of the Grand Old Politburo.

  3. Hopefully there is video… it should be played in every congressional race across the country.

  4. Coretta Scott King warned us…

  5. Avatar for drf55 drf55 says:

    Sessions’ worldview (including his racism) is firmly set in the 1950’s. Calling the opposition to his family separation policy the “radical fringe” is akin to senior citizens in the '60’s and '70’s complaining about the “hippie radicals”. How did we ever get to the point where someone like this is the Attorney General in 2018?

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

57 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for paulw Avatar for pluckyinky Avatar for fgs Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for 1gg Avatar for epicurus Avatar for kevinschmidt Avatar for ottnott Avatar for thebishop Avatar for kitty Avatar for ronbyers Avatar for dddinah Avatar for darrtown Avatar for benthere Avatar for gusfabriani Avatar for jmacaz Avatar for milt69 Avatar for dgsantafe Avatar for katscherger Avatar for lisaport Avatar for counterlife Avatar for pwmesq Avatar for captain_america

Continue Discussion