- Title: Sessions says Roe V. Wade "violated" Constitution, but he will follow law
- Date: 10th January 2017
- Summary: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES (JANUARY 10, 2017) (UNRESTRICTED POOL) MEMBERS OF THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE (SOUNDBITE) (English) SENATOR DIANE FEINSTEIN (D-CA) SAYING: "You have referred to Roe V. Wade as, 'one of the worst, colossally erroneous Supreme Court decisions of all time', is that still your view?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALABAMA SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS AT ATTORNEY GENERAL CONFIRMATION HEARING SAYING: "It is, I believe that it violated the Constitution, and really attempted to set policy and not follow law. It is the law of the land. It has been so established and settled for quite a long time. And it deserves respect, and I would respect it and follow it." WIDE SHOT OF HEARING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALABAMA SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS AT ATTORNEY GENERAL CONFIRMATION HEARING SAYING: "Mr. Chairman, religious freedom is a great heritage of America. We respect people's religion. We encourage them to express themselves and to develop their relationships with the higher power as they choose. We respect that, it is mandated in the Constitution." (SOUNDBITE) (English) SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY (D-VT) SAYING: "Do you agree with the President-elect, that the United States should deny entry to all members of a particular religion?" WIDE OF HEARING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALABAMA SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS AT ATTORNEY GENERAL CONFIRMATION HEARING SAYING: "I have no belief and do not support the idea that Muslims as a religious group should be denied admission to the United States. We have great Muslim citizens that have contributed in so many different ways. And America, as I said in my remarks, at the occasion that we discussed it in Committee, are great believers in religious freedom and the right of people to exercise their religious beliefs." PROTESTERS BEING EJECTED FROM HEARING TIGHT SHOT OF SESSIONS SMILING WIDE SHOT OF SENATE PANEL (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALABAMA SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS AT ATTORNEY GENERAL CONFIRMATION HEARING SAYING: "Senator Graham, I think it is a significant event. We have penetration, apparently throughout our government by foreign entities. We know the Chinese have revealed millions of background information on millions of people in the United States and these, I suppose, ultimately are part of international big power politics." PROTESTERS BEING EJECTED FROM HEARING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SENATOR SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-RI) SAYING: "Will the Department of Justice and the FBI under your administration be allowed to continue to investigate the Russian connection, even if it leads to the Trump campaign and Trump interests and associates? And, can you assure us, that in any conflict between the political interest of the president and the interests of justice you will follow the interests of justice even if your duties require the investigation and even prosecution of the president, his family and associates?" (SOUNDBITE)(English) ALABAMA SENATOR JEFF SESSIONS AT ATTORNEY GENERAL CONFIRMATION HEARING SAYING: "If the law is violated, and it can be prosecuted, then of course you are going to have to handle that in an appropriate way. I would say that the problem may turn out to be, as in the Chinese hacking of our hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of records, has to be handled at a political level. And I do think it is appropriate for a nation who feels that they have been hacked, and that information has been improperly used, to retaliate against those actions. WIDE SHOT OF SENATE PANEL
- Embargoed: 24th January 2017 17:30
- Keywords: Jeff Sessions Attorney General confirmation hearing Congress Trump Administration abortion Roe v. Wade
- Location: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES
- City: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Lawmaking,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0015YI1U13
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Republican Senator Jeff Sessions faced interruptions and questions on his ability to be independent and go against Donald Trump if necessary as the first confirmation hearing for the president-elect's Cabinet nominees got under way on Tuesday (January 10), as he vowed that he would uphold the right for a woman to have an abortion, despite his personal views.
"I believe that it violated the Constitution...It is the law of the land. It has been so established and settled for quite a long time. And it deserves respect, and I would respect it and follow it," he said.
The attorney general is the country's top prosecutor and legal adviser to the president. As head of the Justice Department, the attorney general also oversees the immigration court system that decides whether immigrants are deported or granted asylum or some other kind of protection.
A key plank of Trump's election campaign was his pledge to deport illegal immigrants and to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. Trump has also raised the issue of using a religious test for people wanting to immigrate to the United States. Session said he would not endorse the use of a religious test.
"I have no belief and do not support the idea that Muslims as a religious group should be denied admission to the United States," he said.
Sessions, who has represented the deeply conservative Southern state of Alabama for 20 years, has a long, consistent record of opposing legislation that provides a path to citizenship for immigrants. He has also been a close ally of groups seeking to restrict legal immigration by placing limits on visas used by companies to hire foreign workers.
Civil liberties groups have raised concerns about Sessions' record on immigration and other positions, including government surveillance, civil rights and marijuana legalization. Several protesters interrupted the hearing.
When he was asked whether he would follow up on investigations of foreign entities attempting to influence U.S. policy, he said, "We have penetration, apparently throughout our government by foreign entities."
When he was pressed on whether he would follow any leads about Russian interests interring in the U.S. presidential campaign he said, "If the law is violated, and it can be prosecuted, then of course you are going to have to handle that in an appropriate way." - Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
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