WEBVTT - Bloomberg Law: Sessions Nominated as Trump AG (Audio)

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening the Bloomberg Law with June Grosso in New

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<v Speaker 1>York and Greg's store here in our ninety nine point

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<v Speaker 1>one Washington Studios. Donald Trump's selection of Senator Jeff Sessions

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<v Speaker 1>of Alabama as his attorney general is provoking a storm

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<v Speaker 1>of controversy. Sessions as a former U s Attorney and

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<v Speaker 1>Alabama Attorney General. He's a hardliner on a legal immigration.

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<v Speaker 1>He opposes efforts to reduce sentences for drug offenses, and

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<v Speaker 1>he was one of the few senators to defend Donald

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<v Speaker 1>Trump's campaign proposal for a complete shutdown of Muslims entering

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<v Speaker 1>the country. He has joined Trump's call for a special

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<v Speaker 1>prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton. But what makes Sessions especially

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<v Speaker 1>contentious are the allegations of racism. Allegations serious enough that

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<v Speaker 1>they derailed his nomination for a federal judge ship. In

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<v Speaker 1>at that confirmation process, he acknowledged that he joked about

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<v Speaker 1>the KKK by saying he thought the group was okay

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<v Speaker 1>until he learned they smoked marijuana. A black prosecutor testified

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<v Speaker 1>that Sessions called him boy, and Sessions was accused of

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<v Speaker 1>calling the Double a CP and other civil rights groups

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<v Speaker 1>un American. Here is Sessions defending himself at a Senate hearing.

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<v Speaker 1>I am not a racist, I am not insensitive to blacks.

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<v Speaker 1>I have supported civil rights activity in my state. I

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<v Speaker 1>have done my job with integrity, equality and fairness for all.

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<v Speaker 1>And announcing the appointment, Donald Trump said Sessions is a

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<v Speaker 1>quote world class legal mind and greatly admired by legal

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<v Speaker 1>scholars and virtually everyone who knows him. But Democratic Representative

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<v Speaker 1>Luis Gutierre as of Illinois said, no senator has fought

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<v Speaker 1>harder against the hopes and aspirations of Latinos, immigrants, and

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<v Speaker 1>people of color than Senator Sessions. Is Jeff sentence Jeff

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<v Speaker 1>Sessions fit to be Attorney General? And what would he

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<v Speaker 1>do at the Justice Department. We're going to talk to

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<v Speaker 1>two people with very different perspectives. First, Marge Baker, Vice

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<v Speaker 1>President and People for the American Way, and a moment

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<v Speaker 1>we'll talk with Tom Fitton, President of Judicial Watch. Marge uh,

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<v Speaker 1>Let's hold on just for a second on on the

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<v Speaker 1>some of those allegations about Jeff Sessions in terms of

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<v Speaker 1>conventional qualifications it's clear that he has the understanding and

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<v Speaker 1>the resume, you know, to be Attorney general. Right, that's

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<v Speaker 1>not what it is. What's that issue here? Um? The

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<v Speaker 1>person tasked with protecting the rights of all Americans of

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<v Speaker 1>being the people's lawyers simply cannot be someone who has

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<v Speaker 1>been and is continuing to be an arch foe of

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<v Speaker 1>civil rights, as Session has. That's the bottom line here.

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<v Speaker 1>This this, this Session is unfit to be the Attorney

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<v Speaker 1>General United States. Unfit to be the people's lawyer. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>as that position is frequently referred to. You ran through

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<v Speaker 1>a number of elements of his history, Um, starting with

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<v Speaker 1>there was a reason why he was rejected for his

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<v Speaker 1>nomination to sit on the court, to sit on the

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<v Speaker 1>sit on the court. I mean this, this, this man

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<v Speaker 1>has been an archhow civil rights his whole life, and

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<v Speaker 1>it isn't inconceivable that this person could sit as Attorney

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<v Speaker 1>General United States. March. Explain how much of a platform

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<v Speaker 1>the a G has to shape civil rights in this country. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>it's it's it's enormous. I mean this is this is

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<v Speaker 1>the agency of the administration that defends the rights of

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<v Speaker 1>all Americans, enforces the law, but also defends the rights

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<v Speaker 1>of all Americans to be free from discrimination, to be

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<v Speaker 1>able to vote, um, to be able to escape the

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<v Speaker 1>impact of hate and bigotry directed at them in their communities.

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<v Speaker 1>This is someone who has to be a lawyer for

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<v Speaker 1>all the people. The scope of the Justice Department is enormous.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, it's not just the civil rights divisions, every

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<v Speaker 1>aspect of the Justice Department. And you need somebody to

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<v Speaker 1>make sure that those laws that you're that that we

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<v Speaker 1>enforce are fairly enforced and and Jeff Sessions are simply

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<v Speaker 1>not demonstrated a commitment to the interests and concerns of

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<v Speaker 1>Justice US for all the people. Margin so far, I

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<v Speaker 1>think it's fair to say that Senate Democrats, and of

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<v Speaker 1>course it's a Senate that would have to confirm them,

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<v Speaker 1>are are basically holding their fire. Are you concerned that

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<v Speaker 1>that both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate are going

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<v Speaker 1>to be too deferential to somebody who is right now

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<v Speaker 1>one of their colleagues. Well, um, we're we We absolutely

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<v Speaker 1>want to see Democrats and response to Republicans UM evaluate

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<v Speaker 1>this nomination as it should be, and we are going

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<v Speaker 1>to do whatever we can to make sure, um uh,

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<v Speaker 1>that that there is a really rigorous um examination of

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<v Speaker 1>this nominee. We actually believe that the Senators should be

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<v Speaker 1>calling for the nomination to be withdrawn. It's trust as

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<v Speaker 1>a non starter. But if the hearings do go forward,

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<v Speaker 1>were they have to be rigorous hearings and and we

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<v Speaker 1>have seen statements from Democrats. But what I've seen also

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<v Speaker 1>the statements from Democrats UM saying that they're going to

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<v Speaker 1>make sure that this nominee is rigorously a value evaluate it.

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<v Speaker 1>And this is not some This cannot be a sense

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<v Speaker 1>of giving difference to somebody who's been a colleague. And

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<v Speaker 1>this has got to be a serious examination of the

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<v Speaker 1>person who is going to sit as the chief, as

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<v Speaker 1>I said, as the people's lawyer. Okay, thank you so much, Marge.

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<v Speaker 1>Marge Baker, vice president at People for the American Way.

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<v Speaker 1>We want to turn out to Tom Fitton, who is

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<v Speaker 1>president of Judicial Watch. That's a group that, among other things,

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<v Speaker 1>played a leading role in compelling the US to find

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<v Speaker 1>and release Hillary Clinton's emails. Um, Tom, thanks thanks for

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<v Speaker 1>joining us. Uh, why do you think, despite everything that

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<v Speaker 1>we've been talking about with Marge Baker, why do you

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<v Speaker 1>think Jeff Sessions is fit to be attorney General. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I think he has not only the temperament to be

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<v Speaker 1>attorney general, but he has a rebellious streak that would

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<v Speaker 1>make him a perfect person for a place in the

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<v Speaker 1>government that requires someone to be a little bit more

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<v Speaker 1>independent than the difficult cathery official from the White House. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>You his wary o Republicans in the Senate by taking

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<v Speaker 1>principle stands. And I think it pushed came to Chew,

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<v Speaker 1>he'd you know, he'd royal the Trump administration if pushed

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<v Speaker 1>came to Chew, and he thought one way one way

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<v Speaker 1>was the appropriate way, despite the wishes of those who

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<v Speaker 1>appointed him. And the Justice Department is in crisis. It's

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<v Speaker 1>terribly politicized. It applies the law unevenly and unfairly. It

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<v Speaker 1>does not equally apply to civil rights laws. It thinks

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<v Speaker 1>the civil rights laws can't be enforced on behalf of

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<v Speaker 1>anyone but minorities, which is not. Which is a racial

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<v Speaker 1>approach to decision making there at the department. Uh, they've

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<v Speaker 1>worked to protect the legal secrecy and the Obama administration

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<v Speaker 1>work to protect corruption in the Abama administration by suppressing

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<v Speaker 1>or not seriously investigation serious Uh seriously investigating? Uh really

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<v Speaker 1>in your face allegations of criminal wrongdoing UH at the

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<v Speaker 1>White House and other government agency, not to mention Mrs

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<v Speaker 1>Clinton's fecies. So we need we need someone who's going

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<v Speaker 1>to bring a fresh set of prosecure eyes UH to

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<v Speaker 1>uh this Justice Department. You know, liberals, liberals think they

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<v Speaker 1>could the justicist Department. Only liberals should work there, and

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<v Speaker 1>they're going to destroy any conservative to the who there

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<v Speaker 1>does there. Tom, Let's let's talk about Jeff Sessions though.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's talk about how what he'll do with the Justice

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<v Speaker 1>Department to shape civil rights in a completely different way

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<v Speaker 1>from the way it's that you object to. That's very political. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>the Justice of Hartment does not enforce the civil rights

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<v Speaker 1>laws in a fair manner. There are areas of the

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<v Speaker 1>law that it does enforce or other areas that refuses

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<v Speaker 1>to enforce because it's politically inconvenient. It's been politically inconvenient.

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<v Speaker 1>And what we need is a Justice Department that will

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<v Speaker 1>enforce all the laws, which would be a radical reform

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<v Speaker 1>and I think something that we that Senator Senator Sessions

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<v Speaker 1>would want to do, and certainly we would encourage him

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<v Speaker 1>to do. I mean, this is where I'm talking out.

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<v Speaker 1>It's suing the Justice Department all the time, and would

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<v Speaker 1>be nice to finally have someone there, and let's hope

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<v Speaker 1>that he's this person who stands with us on the

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<v Speaker 1>rule law as opposed to instructions. Stands you that's political, Well,

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<v Speaker 1>what do you means political? We're asking that the law

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<v Speaker 1>be enforced on transparency, on election integrity, that the civil

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<v Speaker 1>rights laws be enforced across the board, and not in

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<v Speaker 1>a politicized ideological manner. And if people don't agree with

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<v Speaker 1>the people for American way and civil rights, it doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>make you, uh, you know, someone that is ineligible for

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<v Speaker 1>a public office. Time we have just about thirty seconds